# Trump's religious pandering **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 1, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885 "2020-06-01T23:55:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/101 "2020-06-05T03:49:20Z")
More power to 'em. And I have to say, I’m kind of surprised the Bible in Trump’s hand didn’t burst into flame. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/102 "2020-06-05T06:59:28Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Say for a moment this is a distinction with a difference and the media incorrectly or deliberately used the wrong terminology. What moral victory do you claim and celebrate given that the resulting actions, as ordered by the Trump Administration, were to forcibly evict a peaceful protest in the interest of a banana-republic-like photo op? Would you also insist on making a “factual” distinction on the composition of the batons used to beat protesters if the reports said wood but in fact they were composite material? > > Is there no self-reflective part of you that recognizes your argument to be a trifling distraction from the far larger, far more important conversation? You know, this seems just about the same as those who spend all their time after a mass shooting occurs arguing about the technical details of the weapon and what it is called by the media. I came within inches of getting tear gassed (or something similar) during a police riot in Cambridge in 1970. I invite anyone splitting hairs about this to sample the various varieties, and let us know how something that is not technically tear gas is much better. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/103 "2020-06-05T07:00:48Z")
The next time this happens, someone should dump a can of black paint over Trump, then the police can tear gas him. Inspired by Dylan’s “I Shall be Free.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/104 "2020-06-05T12:16:10Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The next time this happens, someone should dump a can of black paint over Trump, then the police can tear gas him. > Inspired by Dylan’s “I Shall be Free.” This is the worst use of “Orange is the New Black” apothegm yet. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/105 "2020-06-05T19:02:55Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > More power to 'em. > > And I have to say, I’m kind of surprised the Bible in Trump’s hand didn’t burst into flame. I realize absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but I’ll still take that not happening as a sign that atheist have the right idea. (Deists can also claim victory here. All six of them.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/106 "2020-06-05T22:40:01Z")
Regarding the “we did not use tear gas” claim by the US Park Police: [In an interview with Vox earlier today](https://www.vox.com/2020/6/5/21281604/lafayette-square-white-house-tear-gas-protest), a spokesman for USPP admitted that what they used (pepper balls) was, in effect, tear gas, and that they should not have attempted to claim otherwise. However, later in the day, the acting chief of the USPP attempted to walk that back. As per Vox: > [@](#): > > A US Park Police spokesperson said Friday in an interview it was a “mistake” to insist in a statement on Tuesday that it didn’t use tear gas the day before in a Washington, DC, park to disperse a crowd ahead of President Trump’s photo op, explicitly noting that pepper balls shot by officials irritate the eyes and cause tears. > > “The point is we admitted to using what we used,” Sgt. Eduardo Delgado said. “I think the term ‘tear gas’ doesn’t even matter anymore. It was a mistake on our part for using ‘tear gas’ because we just assumed people would think CS or CN,” two common forms of tear gas. > > But then, shortly before 4 pm, Park Police acting Chief Gregory Monahan walked back from the spokesperson’s comments and used the “tear gas” phrase again. “United States Park Police officers and other assisting law enforcement partners did not use tear gas or OC Skat Shells to close the area at Lafayette Park in response to violent protestors,” he said, referencing a type of canister found on the scene. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/107 "2020-06-06T14:21:15Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The next time this happens, someone should dump a can of black paint over Trump, then the police can tear gas him. > Inspired by Dylan’s “I Shall be Free.” I could get behind this only dye his skin black ala [John Howard Griffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me) and turn him loose with a five-dollar bill far, far from the White House. Ferguson, Mo. would be ideal. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/108 "2020-06-06T15:40:24Z")
Opened the Bible today and it opened to Proverbs 29. Verse 2 says when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice. But when the wicked rule, the people groan. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/109 "2020-06-06T16:02:24Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Opened the Bible today and it opened to Proverbs 29. Verse 2 says when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice. But when the wicked rule, the people groan. I opened my [Random Bible Verse app](https://dailyverses.net/random-bible-verse) and read from Titus 2:9-10: > [@](#): > > Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Weird, right? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/110 "2020-06-06T16:02:25Z")
Prosecuting attorney: “Did you shoot Mr. John Doe?” Defendant: “I did not use a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol to shoot John Doe.” Defense attorney: “The defense rests.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/111 "2020-06-06T16:02:36Z")
Prosecuting attorney: “Did you shoot Mr. John Doe?” Defendant: “I did not use a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol to shoot John Doe.” Defense attorney: “The defense rests.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/112 "2020-06-06T16:36:58Z")
_“When fascism comes to America, it will be [wrapped in the flag](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/03/06/trump-hugs-flag-moos-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn) and carrying a [del]cross[/del] Bible.”_ – often attributed to Sinclair Lewis but original source is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885/113 "2020-06-06T23:10:28Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I could get behind this only dye his skin black ala [John Howard Griffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me) and turn him loose with a five-dollar bill far, far from the White House. Ferguson, Mo. would be ideal. I never saw _The Apprentice_. I don’t watch reality-tv shows, in general. But you’ve described one I’d watch every minute of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-religious-pandering/854885.md?page=5)