Where does Trump and Trumpism leave religion and politics? Cruz appealed to the religious and social right and lost, whereas Trump appealed to the economic and racial right and came out on top. So, does religion still matter? Certainly! In fact, Trumpâ??s vice-presidential pick intentionally gave him additional credibility with the religious and social right. But Trump is showing us that religion cannot be understood apart from other factors such as race, gender, sexuality, and education.