In the book of James, Chapter 4, verse 6, it says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Donald Trump’s public image has always been portrayed as one that lacks humility and exhibits pride. The way the President discusses his accomplishments and highlights his successes is widely recognized, even among his supporters, as evidence that his is a massive ego. Couple that with a media that has been successful at force-feeding a false narrative concerning Trump that is widely accepted as accurate. However, for those with keen discernment, Trump is a man who, upon careful observation, reveals a humble side that forms the foundation of who he truly is.
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Trump is unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, who was the quintessential narcissist, exuding an air of self-perceived greatness. Everything Obama has done and continues to do screams of unbridled conceit. Obama enters a room as if God Himself were making an appearance and about to impart eternal wisdom. It’s not even what Obama says; it’s how he conducts himself. And what makes it worse are his devotees who genuflect accordingly. Trump, on the other hand, carries himself in a way that projects none of that and never has.
For Trump, gatherings are celebrations of America, her history, her people, and a camaraderie that demonstrates a oneness of heart, mind, and patriotic spirit. Obama gatherings, on the other hand, were more of a worship service where the nation and half its people were preached at and denigrated, and racial division was instigated. Idolatry was encouraged by the idol himself, who favored telling us what God wants, rather than asking God what He requires us to do.
One of the principal characteristics of humility is truth. Sixteenth- to seventeenth-century Catholic French priest St. Vincent de Paul, who dedicated himself to serving the poor, once said, “Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.” De Paul believed that true humility is bound to truth because truth involves honesty, and even detractors would agree that no one is more truthful than Donald Trump. Unfortunately, Trump’s brutal forthrightness is often misinterpreted as arrogance. If we are to grow into the fullness of who God created us to be, rather than viewing ourselves as demigods, as Obama did, an honest assessment of our true gifts, as well as our limitations, is necessary to develop as human beings and ultimately deepen our relationship with God.
Another thing that Donald J. Trump lacks is pretense; what you see is what you get. What’s often seen as self-promotion is, in fact, a reaffirmation of Trump's view of the truth. He is a billionaire and a great businessman and negotiator, having overwhelmingly won two elections, most likely three -- these are facts, not fabricated fantasies like the ones America was subjected to from both Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Again, Vincent de Paul describes pride as “nothing but lying.” Why? Because pride distorts the truth, thinks more highly of itself than it ought, and denies reality, all of which is the essence of narcissism. If you compare Barack Obama with Trump, Obama’s abilities were inflated and exaggerated. He convinced the masses that he was something he was not. To this day, Obama sees himself as the most intelligent and capable person to have ever walked God’s green earth. Despite being surrounded by so-called experts, his entire presidency was a façade. Barack Obama exaggerated his abilities, hid his weaknesses, and pretty much dismissed the need for any god other than himself. Let’s not forget that it was Obama who had spent the last twenty or so years creating a “world not as it is, but as he thought it should be.”
Trump, on the other hand, values America and its Constitution. Based on the team around him, it’s clear that the President is also well aware of his limitations. That was evident in his first term, too, when, to his detriment, he trusted those he should never have trusted. Even still, Trump relies on the experts he surrounds himself with, taking counsel and guidance from them on all his decisions, which is a sign of humble leadership. If unpretentiousness is truth, then Trump’s verbalization of his successes is a sign of his diffidence.
Trump often acknowledges the nation’s need for God, calls for prayer, and allows himself to be prayed over, all examples of a person’s submissive attitude and reliance on God. Misconstrued by those who lack a smidgen of discernment, instead of Trump thinking he is God, after he was shot, the President verbalized his dependence on God when he said,
I’m supposed to be dead. I’m not supposed to be here. But something very special happened. Let’s face it. Something happened. It’s… an act of God. God spared my life for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again. It changed something in me. I feel even stronger.
More recently, in his address to the nation, Trump said this:
I want to thank everybody. And, in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America.
If that doesn’t smack of reverence, nothing does. Trump’s statement was a public proclamation that, as a nation, we depend on God. Humility is not self-deprecation; it’s honest acknowledgement of our need for a power higher than ourselves. Trump’s attitude is not off-putting; it’s refreshing. This is especially true after years of undeserved self-exaltation and liberal religiosity, where Democrat politicians profess faith, publicly walk with their families to church for a photo op, prayerfully take communion, and then support legislation that contradicts everything clearly outlined in God’s Word as forbidden. That sharp combination of extremist beliefs and fake Christianity effectively led many people astray.
Yet, those who accept the hypocrisy of the Left’s idea of pseudo-Christian faith are often the first to criticize Trump’s relationship with faith-based advisors and mock his open acknowledgment of America’s need for the guidance and protection from the Creator. For those who recognize a spiritual awakening and journey, it’s clear that this is precisely what Donald Trump has set out on. Willingly surrounded by people of faith, welcoming prayer even when the press is absent from the Oval Office, and always modestly acknowledging the nation’s need for God are all signs of a character trait that Trump is often not given credit for.
Meanwhile, messianic Barack Obama walked around for eight years, receiving worship while disingenuously acknowledging his personal need for God, and never once was he accused of the smugness he exuded in place of perspiration; instead, Trump is.
Now, amid the peace discussions with Putin, Zelensky, and world leaders, Donald Trump makes the most surprising statement of all his remarks thus far. Calling into “Fox & Friends,” he revealed that he hopes to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine, saying,
I want to get to heaven. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.
Unlike secularists Biden, Pelosi, and, of course, Barack Obama, who behaved as if his awesomeness was the key to heaven, Trump publicly acknowledged his inability to gain access to heaven. He also admitted his minuscule worth and demonstrated an unpretentious understanding that it is God alone who offers access to eternal life. All of which is “truth,” and therein is what sets Donald J. Trump apart as a genuinely humble man.
Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us
Image: White House/Molly Riley