Thoughts on Donald Trump, Self-Evident Truths, and Political Idolatry

In theory, we Catholics should be reflexively repulsed by such speech and images. They are not only a very bad take on politics and religion, but injurious to our souls. This is especially the case when the president is a man who invokes—or promotes people who invoke—repulsive comparisons of himself to Jesus. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, such spectacles are likely to increase. It’s useful, therefore, to revisit problems related to nationalism, partisanship, and even “patriotism.”