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The Power of Trump Compels Them

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Cite

Last, J. V. (2026, October 29). The Power of Trump Compels Them. The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-power-of-trump-compels-them-christian-nationalism-empathy

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The Bulwark · collected 2026-10-29 · by Jonathan V. Last commentary

Quick Summary

This article discusses how Donald Trump's influence has led to an increase in Christian nationalism among certain groups, particularly white non-evangelical Protestants and Catholics, according to a Public Religion Research Institute survey. The author argues that this shift is rooted in white ethnonationalism rather than genuine Christianity, as evidenced by drops in support for the concept among Hispanic and black religious communities.
Written by AI on 2026-10-31, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The latest article from The Bulwark on 2026-10-29 by Jonathan V. Last explores the lasting impact of former President Donald Trump on American voters, particularly those who adhere to Christian nationalism. According to Last, Trump has fundamentally altered the desires and character of a significant portion of American voters, suggesting that there will be no return to pre-Trump political norms. The Public Religion Research Institute's recent survey reveals that 27% of non-evangelical Protestants view "Christian nationalism" positively, highlighting the growing influence of this ideology among certain segments of the population. Last argues that understanding Christian nationalism is crucial for grasping future political dynamics in America, emphasizing its distinction from traditional Christianity due to its nationalist focus rather than universal principles.

Written for “The Power Of Trump Compels Them” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 115232 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-31

Story

📰 The Power Of Trump Compels Them
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
27
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 27 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-31 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 564 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Jonathan V. Last
37 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Are the polls right or wrong? Will Sarah ever read the Triad? And at the very end, we have the surprise you’ve been waiting for . . .
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · BURN MAGA TO THE GROUND
🔮 No reasonable person could be confused by the Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Stop Whining. Just Win.
🔮 1. Christian Nationalism Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · The Power of Trump Compels Them
🔮 Maybe we do!
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Nationalize SpaceX
🔮 1. Forecasts We’re eight days out from Election Day.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Who’s Right? The Polls or the Vibes?
🔮 If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to nextlevel@thebulwark.com and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.
2026-10-23 · assertive framing · The Worst Person in the World
🔮 1. Asymmetry Joe Manchin will be in Maine tomorrow campaigning for Susan Collins.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · F*ck Joe Manchin
🔮 Trump could just move her over to the Shield of the Americas, because one of the fake jobs at that fake organization just opened up.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · The Trump Administration Is Run on Kink
🔮 If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to nextlevel@thebulwark.com and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · So Many Bad Things
🔮 Texas might get a Democratic senator.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Susan Collins Is the Living Worst
Also by Jonathan V. Last
BURN MAGA TO THE GROUND
2026-10-30 · The Bulwark
Stop Whining. Just Win.
2026-10-30 · The Bulwark
Trump’s Safe Space for Strongmen
2026-10-28 · The Bulwark
Nationalize SpaceX
2026-10-27 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 37 articles by Jonathan V. Last →

Topics

American Americans Christian Christianity non-evangelical Protestants

Subjects

Christian NORP · 10× Christianity ORG · 4× American NORP · 3× Americans NORP · 2× Trump PERSON · 2× non-evangelical Protestants NORP · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Israel GPE · 1× PRRI ORG · 1× The Public Religion Research Institute ORG · 1×

Narrative

My thesis is that there will be no return to normal because Trump has fundamentally changed the character and desires of a large group of American voters.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-31
🔮 1. Christian Nationalism Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home.
2026-10-31 · The Bulwark
The Power of Trump Compels Them · assertive framing

Claims (27 extracted, 0 hedged)

1. Christian Nationalism Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home. asserted
Lord → call → Trump
At that happy hour, as Trump is welcomed to eternal life, there will be a great deal of uncertainty in American politics. asserted
Trump → welcome → politics
What will happen next? asserted
What → happen → ?
My thesis is that there will be no return to normal because Trump has fundamentally changed the character and desires of a large group of American voters. asserted
Trump → change → voters
This is the sort of idea that’s hard to quantify because you can’t come at it head-on. asserted
you → ’ → it
You have to look for oblique angles. asserted
You → have → angles
The Public Religion Research Institute just gave us some interesting data points. asserted
Institute → give → points
I want to talk about them, and the Gospel, and the future of American politics. asserted
I → want → politics
PRRI’s latest survey asks a number of interesting questions. asserted
survey → ask → questions
For instance, what do people think of the term “Christian nationalism”? asserted
people → think → term
It’s important to understand that Christian nationalism is not a type of Christianity. asserted
nationalism → ’ → Christianity
It’s a type of nationalism. asserted
It → ’ → nationalism
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” asserted
believes → love → life
The bedrock idea of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God and that He was sent for all. asserted
He → send → all
Christianity, again by definition, can have no foundation in nationhood. asserted
Christianity → have → nationhood
It is a form of nationalism that cloaks itself in Christian identity. asserted
that → cloak → identity
Which is to say: It is a false Christianity. asserted
It → say → ?
Most Americans understand this dichotomy, which is why a plurality of Americans (48 percent) view “Christian nationalism” unfavorably. asserted
plurality → understand → nationalism
But there are two groups that have glommed on to the idea: Republicans and white evangelical Christians. asserted
that → be → idea
Where did this increase come from? asserted
increase → come → Where
Take a look at what’s going on here to really understand the character of Christian nationalism. asserted
what → take → nationalism
Among Hispanic Protestants and Hispanic Catholics and black Protestants, support for Christian nationalism fell off a cliff. asserted
support → fall → cliff
There is no way to interpret this shift as anything but an increased, shared understanding that “Christian nationalism” isn’t about Christ. asserted
nationalism → be → Christ
It’s about white ethnonationalism. asserted
It → ’ → ethnonationalism
That’s why Hispanic Protestant support dropped by a third while Jewish support nearly tripled. asserted
support → ’ → third
Everyone understands the score. asserted
Everyone → understand → score
Now what happens when religious groups stop seeing themselves as based on theological concepts and start viewing themselves in terms of ethnonationalism? asserted
groups → happen → ethnonationalism
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