Donald Trump on the Cross

Pardon the blasphemy, but it's Trump's, not mine.

No, this isn’t Donald Trump bearing the cross. It’s you-know-who, by El Greco.

Donald Trump compared his sufferings this morning to those of Jesus Christ. On Truth Social he appended the words “Beautiful! Thank you” to the following message from a supporter: “It’s ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are stealing your property from you.” There followed some lines from Psalm 109, beginning with “They have also surrounded me with words of hatred/ And fought against me without a cause.”

Now I’m no theologian, nor even Christian. Nevertheless I’m going to venture that the differences between Donald Trump and Jesus Christ outweigh the similarities. Among these is that Trump got a reprieve this morning from a New York appellate panel, giving him until April 4 to come up not with the $454 million previously required to satisfy a civil judgment against him while he pursues an appeal but rather $175 million. Should he lose the appeal he’s still on the hook for the full $454 million (unless the appeals court lowers it to, say, $175 million). This strikes me as very different from Jesus Christ, dying on the cross, imploring “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

In my latest New Republic piece I consider the very real possibility that April 4 will arrive and Trump still won’t have met bond. You can read it here.