The religious right has already made clear that it doesn’t care about the ample evidence Trump is a thug. No, no—what really matters is that he’s giving them what they want.
Just how far are they willing to go to support any schmuck who makes clucking noises they like? We got a good idea on Wednesday from one of Trump’s loudest cheerleaders, Lance Wallnau.
While chatting with another pro-Trump religious right tailender, Jim Bakker, Wallnau made a startling declaration. He admitted that while he knows Vladimir Putin runs Russia like a crime boss, he doesn’t fear him as much as he fears liberals in this country. Right Wing Watch got a clip.
Wallnau thought that Russia must be doing something right if “the establishment right and the entire left” loudly oppose the Kremlin. He thinks it’s because Russia is probably one of the most homophobic countries on the planet, and arguably the most homophobic country in the developed world. Has it occurred to Wallnau that maybe we’re more upset about the fact that Russia is staggeringly corrupt, has no real independent media, and barely tolerates opposition?
Well, apparently it must have. Wallnau said that while he knows Putin is “not a good guy” and “a Mafia chief,” he’s been friendly to Christians—and that’s what really matters.
Frankly, this isn’t at all surprising, given the religious right going all in for Trump. But by openly declaring that he’s perfectly fine with Putin’s thuggery as long as he gives Christians what they want, Wallnau effectively filed the moral equivalent of a Chapter 7 filing.