Donald Trump and Kerala Christians

By M K George

Rome, Nov 10, 2024: My own experience during the past week and the social media messages confirm that many Christians in Kerala, and Christians of Kerala origin in the U S, are delighted about the victory of Trump as the 47th President of the U.S.

They hail Trump’s come back as God-gifted! In fact, there is a photo of a receipt going round in the social media for a Holy Mass, offered at a parish in Kanjirappally diocese for the intentions of Trump.

Now contrast it with some factual reports:

Nicholas Kristoff of New York Times (November 8) said: ‘My country has elected a felon whose former top aides described him as a fascist and the most dangerous person in to this country.’ The final verdict is that in modern America, you can cheat and the system isn’t strong enough to fight back, he added.

What could have prompted some of these Kerala Christians to hail such a man as Trump? I asked couple of them. They said, “Oh, Mr. Trump is against abortions. He will keep the Muslims out. He will keep immigrants out. Economy will grow.”
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Now again some fact checks: Trump has clearly said and demonstrated that he is a victim of crony capitalism like in our country and that he is bound to support businessmen like Elon Musk who, according to some reports, has already got his pound of flesh.

These Keralites, I wonder whether they check the data. In India, there was the promise of ‘Subke sath, Subka vikas’ (“Together with all, development for all”). The reality: India has the largest number of billionaires, but also the largest number of poor. In terms of Human Development Index, India is at 134 out of 193 countries.

The U.S. which already has a huge income gap is likely to increase the gap between the rich and the poor, as Trump is clearly on the side of the rich businessmen.

During the election campaign Trump has threatened to prosecute all those who opposed him. His attitude to media which criticised him is all clear. Would the freedom of the press and human rights situation remain safe under the second term of Trump? We will have to wait and see. But given the trajectory of his governance, he is not going to be a saint at all.

Trump’s attitude to immigration is clear: Trump says he would take on his first day in the White House is to ‘begin the largest deportation operation in American history.’ Trump’s campaign said he would ‘marshal every federal and state power necessary’ for the purpose.’ (Elcano Royal Institute October 8, 2024).

I wonder whether the Christian supporters of Trump think of the thousands of illegal Indians in the US waiting for legalization.

Climate Change is denied by Trump and calls it a conspiracy theory. He has threatened to go back on the climate change alleviation programs. He has big stake in fossil fuels industry and is likely to cut down on alternative energies, thus worsen the climate crisis. Here is what one said about Trump’s victory and its impact on climate change. “Trump’s win is no doubt bad news for US climate action…Other countries will need to step up.” ( Li Shuo in Carbon Brief)

Listen to other Christian voices

The Kerala Christians should listen to other Christian voices too, not just the fundamentalist, right-wing groups that thrive in the US and parts of India.

Let me cite one example: The National Catholic Reporter in one of its recent editorials said, ‘The incompetent, dishonest, divisive and authoritarian-prone Donald J. Trump again has been elected president of the United States. In time, volumes of books will attempt to explain this colossal lapse of judgment.’

They call this one of the most desperate times in the history of US and observe that, ‘our mission, though not new, has become increasingly urgent. We must speak the truth, live with integrity, reach out to those in need, build and preserve just structures, and stand up to our oppressors.’ (November 6, 2024)

The sad plight of Kerala Christians

With intensified Islamophobia (which is recently escalated by the attitude of the Wqap board in Munambam issue) and the lure of the right-wing forces in India, the Kerala Christians are falling prey to the dangling grapes offered by the ruling party. Their own shepherds are the worst examples.

Some of them praise corrupt state political leaders to the sky in public meetings, endorse ‘guarantees of the leader’ in public (when what we really need is Constitutional guarantees) and themselves show absolute lack of political analysis and consistency in view. No wonder Christians are being swayed by the sort of promises by Trump and our right-wing leaders.

The note of hope

I want to get back to the NCR editorial which says, “We will endure Donald Trump and his sycophants. His time will pass. Sadly, he will cause significant damage. However, we can, indeed we must, limit this damage through our unceasing resolve. As active witnesses of justice and mercy, we will transform darkness into light and weakness into strength for ourselves and others. Every act of love, every gesture of kindness and healing builds the nation that, for now, seems to elude us,”

Pope Francis says, ‘We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved.’

Whom do we listen to , Trump and other right-wing leaders who call for exclusion, or Pope Francis who calls for fraternity?

A mission dollar question indeed!

(Jesuit social scientist M K George lives in Rome.)