RUSH TRANSCRIPT The Republican ░░░░░░░░ has long been the ░░░░░░░░ of choice for America ░░░░░░░░ evangelicals Since the emergence ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump the blending ░░░░░░░░ religion and politics has ░░░░░░░░ new heights A new ░░░░░░░░ in the Atlantic headlined ░░░░░░░░ help us make America ░░░░░░░░ again takes a deep ░░░░░░░░ into the prayers given ░░░░░░░░ the beginning of Trump ░░░░░░░░ and analyzing why America ░░░░░░░░ religious right is firmly ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump Joining us ░░░░░░░░ the author of the ░░░░░░░░ staff writer at the ░░░░░░░░ McKay Coppins You ve ░░░░░░░░ this so expensively throughout ░░░░░░░░ career and you write ░░░░░░░░ this new piece Trump ░░░░░░░░ attribute America s fall ░░░░░░░░ grace to a variety ░░░░░░░░ national sins old and ░░░░░░░░ prayer bans in public ░░░░░░░░ illegal immigration pro transgender ░░░░░░░░ the purported rigging of ░░░░░░░░ certain recent election Whatever ░░░░░░░░ specifics the picture of ░░░░░░░░ they paint is almost ░░░░░░░░ biblically bleak The premise ░░░░░░░░ all of these prayers ░░░░░░░░ that America s covenant ░░░░░░░░ be reestablished and its ░░░░░░░░ place in god s ░░░░░░░░ restored if the nation ░░░░░░░░ and turns back to ░░░░░░░░ Ryan burge a baptist ░░░░░░░░ and political scientist told ░░░░░░░░ that these ideas have ░░░░░░░░ percolated on the religious ░░░░░░░░ What s new is ░░░░░░░░ many christians now seem ░░░░░░░░ that god has anointed ░░░░░░░░ specific leader who like ░░░░░░░░ prophets of old is ░░░░░░░░ to defeat the forces ░░░░░░░░ evil and redeem the ░░░░░░░░ And that leader is ░░░░░░░░ for president McKay that ░░░░░░░░ an excerpt from your ░░░░░░░░ It remains the unlikeliest ░░░░░░░░ marriages the evangelicals and ░░░░░░░░ Trump Those bonds though ░░░░░░░░ to have only grown ░░░░░░░░ Tell us where we ░░░░░░░░ in the middle of ░░░░░░░░ Yeah you know like ░░░░░░░░ said I have been ░░░░░░░░ the Trump campaign for ░░░░░░░░ long time I ve ░░░░░░░░ more than 100 Trump ░░░░░░░░ over the course of ░░░░░░░░ career And the premise ░░░░░░░░ this piece was that ░░░░░░░░ prayers that are given ░░░░░░░░ the beginning of these ░░░░░░░░ events don t often ░░░░░░░░ that much journalist ache ░░░░░░░░ attention We focus on ░░░░░░░░ Trump is saying But ░░░░░░░░ provide an interesting and ░░░░░░░░ insight into the religious ░░░░░░░░ s attitude toward Trump ░░░░░░░░ of the evolutions that ░░░░░░░░ see in these prayers ░░░░░░░░ we ended up compiling ░░░░░░░░ of them since Trump ░░░░░░░░ his most recent campaign ░░░░░░░░ the idea was to ░░░░░░░░ of examine the theological ░░░░░░░░ One of the things ░░░░░░░░ really see is that ░░░░░░░░ 2016 the way that ░░░░░░░░ heard conservative evangelicals talk ░░░░░░░░ Trump was that he ░░░░░░░░ like cyrus the great ░░░░░░░░ was a 6th century ░░░░░░░░ c persian king who ░░░░░░░░ the israelites from babylonian ░░░░░░░░ The idea was he ░░░░░░░░ an unlikely vessel He ░░░░░░░░ not a plooefrbeliever hims ░░░░░░░░ he is going to ░░░░░░░░ us do god s ░░░░░░░░ You don t see ░░░░░░░░ language in these prayers ░░░░░░░░ You see him being ░░░░░░░░ to righteous prophetic heros ░░░░░░░░ he is not only ░░░░░░░░ who is kind of ░░░░░░░░ tool in god s ░░░░░░░░ but that he is ░░░░░░░░ and righteous himself In ░░░░░░░░ in many of these ░░░░░░░░ the stakes of the ░░░░░░░░ are really ratcheted up ░░░░░░░░ the point where Trump ░░░░░░░░ considered you know the ░░░░░░░░ of the forces of ░░░░░░░░ and Joe Biden Kamala ░░░░░░░░ are the forces of ░░░░░░░░ So you really see ░░░░░░░░ way that the election ░░░░░░░░ being framed in these ░░░░░░░░ as an example of ░░░░░░░░ the stakes of the ░░░░░░░░ have come to feel ░░░░░░░░ kind of biblically apopcalyptically ░░░░░░░░ for so many Americans ░░░░░░░░ what caught my eye ░░░░░░░░ your article is exactly ░░░░░░░░ you just talked about ░░░░░░░░ we saw 20 25 ░░░░░░░░ ago the moral mo ░░░░░░░░ and man right wing ░░░░░░░░ would be shaped by ░░░░░░░░ moral majority and adjust ░░░░░░░░ to that Then you ░░░░░░░░ Trump earlier this was ░░░░░░░░ sinner but that god ░░░░░░░░ going to use How ░░░░░░░░ we get from there ░░░░░░░░ now where he is ░░░░░░░░ incarnation of what god ░░░░░░░░ right now It s ░░░░░░░░ the whole Christian right ░░░░░░░░ almost abandoned what they ░░░░░░░░ standing for to make ░░░░░░░░ fit Trump rather than ░░░░░░░░ Trump fit them Yeah ░░░░░░░░ did that happen It ░░░░░░░░ such an important distinction ░░░░░░░░ know I will say ░░░░░░░░ came into this piece ░░░░░░░░ person of faith I ░░░░░░░░ prayers every day I ░░░░░░░░ for our government leaders ░░░░░░░░ think it is totally ░░░░░░░░ to pray for political ░░░░░░░░ of both parties But ░░░░░░░░ distinction you just made ░░░░░░░░ important Play praying our ░░░░░░░░ leaders will be guided ░░░░░░░░ god that they will ░░░░░░░░ character and make wise ░░░░░░░░ righteous decisions is different ░░░░░░░░ the premise that a ░░░░░░░░ of these prayers start ░░░░░░░░ Which is that Trump ░░░░░░░░ already righteous I shared ░░░░░░░░ prayers with a handful ░░░░░░░░ scholars and theologians One ░░░░░░░░ them said to me ░░░░░░░░ know nobody in these ░░░░░░░░ seems to pray that ░░░░░░░░ will do right by ░░░░░░░░ Everybody prays that god ░░░░░░░░ do right by Trump ░░░░░░░░ think that the evolution ░░░░░░░░ s happened is that ░░░░░░░░ lot of these people ░░░░░░░░ is Donald Trump s ░░░░░░░░ devout religious supporters are ░░░░░░░░ know living not only ░░░░░░░░ of their faith they ░░░░░░░░ not only going to ░░░░░░░░ they re living inside ░░░░░░░░ kind of right wing ░░░░░░░░ ecosystem where Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ presented as an infallible ░░░░░░░░ right If you believe ░░░░░░░░ if you believe that ░░░░░░░░ is righteous that everything ░░░░░░░░ does is de facto ░░░░░░░░ it is impossible to ░░░░░░░░ anything that happens in ░░░░░░░░ campaign that goes the ░░░░░░░░ way as anything other ░░░░░░░░ the work of the ░░░░░░░░ McKay I have been ░░░░░░░░ a lot of not ░░░░░░░░ but a lot of ░░░░░░░░ rallies and I m ░░░░░░░░ you did this because ░░░░░░░░ had the same reaction ░░░░░░░░ the prayers at the ░░░░░░░░ are apocalyptic In north ░░░░░░░░ we re fighting the ░░░░░░░░ from the gates of ░░░░░░░░ led by the leaders ░░░░░░░░ Biden and Kamala Harris ░░░░░░░░ the other ticket is ░░░░░░░░ from the gates of ░░░░░░░░ and it is this ░░░░░░░░ war Just to paint ░░░░░░░░ picture you hear that ░░░░░░░░ probably by the January ░░░░░░░░ choir right singing the ░░░░░░░░ anthem Then the former ░░░░░░░░ of the United States ░░░░░░░░ about pardoning Jan 6th ░░░░░░░░ What is if you ░░░░░░░░ a loss for this ░░░░░░░░ you know what do ░░░░░░░░ rallies and the religious ░░░░░░░░ the prayers sort of ░░░░░░░░ in the crowd of ░░░░░░░░ supporters What you re ░░░░░░░░ at I think is ░░░░░░░░ was rattling around in ░░░░░░░░ mind studying the prayers ░░░░░░░░ course if you believe ░░░░░░░░ election is a battle ░░░░░░░░ good and evil and ░░░░░░░░ god is on your ░░░░░░░░ if your side loses ░░░░░░░░ have to believe that ░░░░░░░░ is amiss right It ░░░░░░░░ the seeds of conspiracy ░░░░░░░░ It plants the seeds ░░░░░░░░ election denialism denialism You ░░░░░░░░ certainly I was thinking ░░░░░░░░ that as I was ░░░░░░░░ these prayers But I ░░░░░░░░ say that I m ░░░░░░░░ just as concerned as ░░░░░░░░ happens if Trump wins ░░░░░░░░ quote toward the end ░░░░░░░░ the piece from a ░░░░░░░░ that was given in ░░░░░░░░ where the pastor who ░░░░░░░░ praying promises righteous retribution ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump is re ░░░░░░░░ against those who would ░░░░░░░░ to do evil Again ░░░░░░░░ know I think that ░░░░░░░░ sides can be guilty ░░░░░░░░ ratcheting up the stakes ░░░░░░░░ any given election to ░░░░░░░░ too high but this ░░░░░░░░ an example of where ░░░░░░░░ you believe that again ░░░░░░░░ is on your side ░░░░░░░░ becomes very risky that ░░░░░░░░ believe that a win ░░░░░░░░ not only an electoral ░░░░░░░░ but a divine mandate ░░░░░░░░ do whatever you want ░░░░░░░░ I do think that ░░░░░░░░ need to think about ░░░░░░░░ and keep that in ░░░░░░░░ back of our minds ░░░░░░░░ we re looking at ░░░░░░░░ of the rhetoric coming ░░░░░░░░ of the Trump campaign ░░░░░░░░ it is really important ░░░░░░░░ It s online now ░░░░░░░░ the Atlantic Staff writer ░░░░░░░░ Coppins thank you for ░░░░░░░░ us this morning.