Donald Trump victory in 2024 US presidential election: American in Lisburn givesview on Catholic and Protestant Christians helped put Trump back in White House
An American in Lisburn has given his perception as to why so many Catholic and Protestant Christians helped put Donald Trump back in the White House this week.
Austin Mackintosh, 38 and from Texas, is a church youth worker in Lisburn whose father is a Baptist pastor.
"I expected Trump would win – that was my gut feeling - but I didn’t expect it to be by that margin,” he said.
"I think it was too much to ask voters to jump on board with Kamala [Harris], without the normal process of getting to know her. And then her performance in the run up, she didn't do that well."
“When people are feeling it in their pocketbook [wallet], they're going to vote for change.”
The News Letter asked him why so many Latino Catholics and Protestant Evangelicals voted for Trump despite his flaws. (Trump has criminal convictions for election expense fraud and was found liable for rape in a civil case).
His response, he said, does not represent his own personal views.
But he says there has been a prevailing narrative among American Evangelicals that compares the US to ancient Israel and Trump to King David.
"There are swaths of evangelical Christians in the US that believe in the US as a modern day Israel. So in the same way that many first century Jews around Jesus were expecting him to lead an army of rebellion against the Romans, that's what they see in Trump.
"They see him as a strong leader who's going to conquer the enemy, and that this is who God has given them. And I've heard them comparing him to David.
"David had a terrible track record of his own morality and his own sinfulness, but then God used him in mighty ways. And so that's the narrative that has been painted that seems to be what's resonating with a lot of voters."
He notes that the biblical King David was considered a righteous king, yet had many wives. He also had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and secretly murdered her husband to cover up the affair after she became pregnant.
"So it's like, yeah, he may not be the nicest guy, or he may be rough around the edges. But there is also a story that pastors have been sharing that they were in the room when Trump was converted, and that he gave his life to Jesus. The story came out before he was elected the first time."
Austin notes that when last in office Trump moved the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which also went down well with Evangelicals.
"That is part of it, for sure. That Trump is God's man kind of leading, leading that things into place in order for Christ to come back."
It is also reported that many pro-life Catholic Latino voters and pro-life Protestant voters strongly backed him because while president he set things in motion to overturn Roe Vs Wade, removing the constitutional right to abortion.
"That's 100% true," he replies. "I would say a lot of Christians in the states won't even consider a pro-abortion candidate."
Austin also acknowledges that the LGBT community believe President Trump will work against their interests - which may also endear him to some Christians.