“You Elected a Pervert”: Trump Declares a Pastor an Enemy of Jesus and Blames Jihadists for France

Donald Trump stands before his supporters in Kansas and talks about Jesus. More specifically, about who supposedly mocks him. His target is Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor running for the US Senate as a Democrat. Hamilton openly mocks Jesus, the president claims. Shortly afterward, the word "pervert" comes up. Trump paints a picture for his audience of what it would be like to find out after the election that they've elected such a man. An outrageous accusation from a president who loves to celebrate himself as a special defender of Christianity. Apparently, Donald Trump now gets to decide which clergymen show Jesus enough respect, too.

Trump: “That's all you need to find out, that you've elected a pervert.”

The reason for this religious showdown is a Senate race that has become uncomfortable for Republicans. Kansas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. Now Republican incumbent Roger Marshall is running virtually neck and neck with Hamilton in the polls. Marshall is a physician serving his first term. Hamilton leads a Methodist congregation in the affluent Kansas City suburbs. Before Trump's appearance, his campaign even released a friendly welcome to the president. He said he'd be willing to sit down and have a civil conversation with him anytime. Trump responded with personal accusations in front of thousands of supporters.

Marshall called his opponent the most radical liberal Democrat ever to make it through a primary in Kansas. He then brought up a sexual abuse case from about 20 years ago involving Hamilton's church. The pastor had protected a sexual predator, Marshall claimed. Hamilton disputes that accusation and says his opponent is misrepresenting how the church handled the allegations at the time. Trump picked up the attack, tied it to Hamilton's position on transgender issues, and claimed the pastor mocks Jesus. He then declared that finding out after the election that you've elected a pervert would be bad enough. An allegation of sexual abuse against a former church worker is thus turned into a public attack on the man now running against a Republican senator.

Hamilton's campaign spokesperson, Tyson Brody, said Marshall's campaign was sinking while Washington was panicking. No amount of name-calling could distract from the fact that people in Kansas were struggling with rising gas and diesel prices. Affordable health care was becoming increasingly out of reach, and Washington corruption was wearing people down. Trump spoke about those problems with considerably less passion than he did about supposed religious enemies.

After claiming that France is being "looted" and being interrupted twice by protesters, Trump refers to Europe as a country.

For his next attack, the president only had to look toward France. While people there are demonstrating against rising living costs and the condition of public services, Trump declared that the once-great nation was being conquered by migrants and jihadists. Communists were also among those responsible. These people hated Christianity and Western civilization, he claimed. A television report about the riots played on a giant screen. Burning buildings became a warning to American voters. That's exactly what radical Democrats wanted to do in America, Trump declared. The social causes of the French protests disappeared completely amid his accusations.

Trump: “France is being burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity.”

Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, also became a target. Trump called him "Mohammed" and dragged Barack Obama into it, since Obama is supporting El-Sayed's campaign. His message to Kansas: Any vote for a Democrat would mean handing the country over to a small group of extremists. He repeatedly assured Christian voters of his special bond with them.

Trump repeatedly had to interrupt his speech because there were so many protesters inside the arena. Their freedom of speech was met with being thrown out.

On November 3, Kansas will decide who represents the state in the Senate. To win a Democratic majority in the Senate, Democrats would have to flip at least 2 seats in states Trump won by double digits in 2024. Kansas is one of those difficult battlegrounds. The fact that Trump personally travels there and publicly declares a pastor an enemy of Jesus shows just how great the fear has become. Rising living costs are something people can argue about. Declaring a political opponent a religious enemy lets the president avoid answering any questions about them for now. And that, right there, is his answer.