"You must sacrifice": MAGA excuses for Trump's trade war echo "prosperity" preachers

[marmar]

"You must sacrifice": MAGA excuses for Trump's trade war echo "prosperity" preachers
Trump's closest faith "advisor" teaches that if you give her money, God will reward you with riches

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published March 14, 2025 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) "Go forward boldly into your destiny," declares Paula White, the head of Donald Trump's newly-minted White House Faith Office. The charismatic preacher's new video instructs her followers, whose ranks have swollen as a result of her close relationship to Trump, that "you must sacrifice some way during this prophetic season, because it's through sacrifice that your spirit opens up so wide that you can receive divine direction." She promises "increase" for those who sow a "seed," citing Proverbs 1:33, which promises "safety" and "ease" to believers. What is this "sacrifice" White wishes her followers to make for their safety and ease? Why, sending her a check for $133, which she implies will be returned to them many times over by God.

White is one of the country's most prominent peddlers of the "prosperity gospel." As religious studies expert Kate Bowler explained in Vox in 2018, it's a Christian movement that teaches "God will give you your heart’s desires: money in the bank, a healthy body, a thriving family, and boundless happiness." All you need to do is prove your faith by writing checks to the leaders, even — perhaps especially — if you can't afford it. By doing so, they promise, God will reward them amply, often in cold, hard cash.

....(snip)....

But what's striking about the prosperity gospel and its empty promises of future wealth in exchange for current privation is how much it sounds exactly like the excuses Trump and his allies are making for the economic wreckage he's inflicting on the U.S. through unnecessary and unjustifiable tariffs. During the campaign, Trump promised, "When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one." Instead, he's doing the opposite: Imposing tariffs on most major trading partners, which function like a sales tax that will almost certainly cause inflation, which had been dwindling in the last year of President Joe Biden's term, to skyrocket again.

....(snip)....

The message spread throughout the Trump propaganda apparatus to command the MAGA base to see their sudden loss of purchasing power as a necessary sacrifice for future riches. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted that the tariffs will likely spur a recession, but insisted it would be "worth it" because they will supposedly "produce growth." "No pain, no gain — that’s what we used to tell our football players," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said, falsely equating exercise, which promotes muscle growth, with sales taxes, which suppress consumer spending and shrink the economy. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld also invoked the language of sacrifice, instructing viewers, "don't buy the goods" if they don't want to pay the tax. That may be not possible with necessary goods, like food and fuel. But even with luxury items, the "don't spend money" message is death to economic growth. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/14/you-must-sacrifice-maga-excuses-for-trade-echo-prosperity-preachers/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Camel, here is the eye of the needle. . . . nt

[BOSSHOG]

2. I must have misunderstood "On Day One"

[-misanthroptimist]

3. Prosperity gospel

...and other rank hypocrisies and evils are the reason that I slightly hope that I, as long-time atheist, am wrong and the Bible is right. The thought of these cynical assholes burning in the flaming pit next door would provide me some measure of happiness, even in hell.

[ToxMarz]

4. Repukes embrace of the religious right naturally goes hand in hand

The goal of both is complete and blind obedience. And like the Project 25 authors, they like that they only need to pay off (or extort) a few people to gain control of a mass of people. None of that pesky democracy and free thinking, much less questioning and opposition.

[SergeStorms]

7. If these "evangelicals" would do a little research.......

they'd find that their "movement" was started by the white supremacists as a shield against government intrusion into their racist activities.

Yeah, I know. "Don't eat from the tree of knowledge." They really took that advice to heart.

[azureblue]

5. billionaires sacrifice first

They can all give away everything but a single billion, and still live comfortably..

[GiqueCee]

6. It is absolutely staggering...

... that ANYONE believes the witless gobbledygook this woman spews. The same goes for ALL the televangelist charlatans.
Those that buy into their malicious, self-serving lies deserve whatever fate befalls them. The rest of us do not.

[Solly Mack]

8. She, and the rest, can shove that nonsense up their asses.

[potatoslayer]

9. That's actually not what scripture says

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Hosea 6:6

Jesus also quotes it during his ministry.

What these people are doing is in such contrast to what's taught.

Perhaps if they actually read the Bible they've been shoving in others' faces, they might see how much they're being manipulated/lied to.

[Dulcinea]

10. "You must sacrifice...

...so the already wealthy can have even more." Screw that.

[defacto7]

11. Kings and emperors using religious rhetoric to control the common people

is as old as civilization itself. For one, Constantine, a pagan who worshiped Sol Invictus the sun god, started the ball rolling by expanding the Christian religion so there would be a single god channeling his will directly through him, the emperor of Rome. His historian, Eusebius Pamphilius gave him the idea. Eusebius said that any good lie that furthers the faith is honorable in the eyes of god. This statement was repeated by Martin Luther more than a thousand years later.

Do these characteristics sound familiar?

[timms139]

12. News today

**BREAKING NEWS: The Underworld Signs Record-Breaking Coal Contract Ahead of High-Profile Arrival**

HELL – In an unprecedented economic move, Lucifer Morningstar, commonly known as the Devil, announced the signing of a massive raw coal contract today. Sources from the Underworld Press Office stated that the coal is critically needed to stoke Hell’s furnaces in anticipation of an upcoming high-profile arrival, identified cryptically in the contract only by the initials "D.J.T."

Hell's procurement office, which traditionally relies on a stable supply of brimstone and renewable sources of eternal fire, cited extraordinary circumstances requiring supplemental energy. "We simply weren't prepared for this magnitude of sin-based processing," said an anonymous demonic official. "The sheer volume of punishment required in this case is unlike anything we've seen before."

Experts speculate the initials "D.J.T." refer to a notable earthly figure whose tenure was marked by controversy, legal battles, and heated public debate. "We anticipate the fires will need significant ramping up to handle such a backlog of unresolved punishment," said Chief Tormentor Azazel. "Coal, though antiquated by earthly standards, offers a swift and reliable infernal combustion that will help us catch up quickly."

Environmental advocates from various afterlife realms have expressed alarm, citing concerns about increased pollution in the metaphysical atmosphere. However, Hell’s administration insisted they would strictly adhere to infernal guidelines, noting "Hell's commitment to ethical eternal punishment remains unmatched."

As this unprecedented move unfolds, analysts predict the arrival labeled "D.J.T." could set historical records for coal consumption in the afterlife. More details are expected in the coming eternity.

Reported from the Newsbreak Rooms of WHEL

[Arazi]

13. It's actually closer to cult promises. The great thing doesn't happen Day One!

Then it’s going to happen in a few days. Then in a few weeks. And then in September etc etc

Stringing the cult along…

[UTUSN]

14. Yip, "prosperity" preacher Norman Vincent PEALE was Drumpf's & his Pa's guide, besides Mein Kampf