Trump in his own words

Share

Some states began early voting in the past week. In light of this, I am making my final comments about Trump's candidacy. I apologize for those who have been offended by my anti-Trump posts or who think I should have kept my mouth shut, but as I have explained elsewhere, my concern is over the integrity of the church. In particular, what happens to our moral authority when we throw our political support behind a candidate even non-believers quickly identify as a uniquely immoral option?

But today, I'm not going to really give my opinion on how you should vote. Rather, I'll just give you Trump's own words. Ultimately, I have no control over how you vote. And ordinarily, I don't care whether you vote Republican, Democrat, 3rd party, or not at all. Christians will come down on all sides.

However, if you are thinking about voting for Trump, here is what I would ask. Don't divorce your faith from your politics. Don't compartmentalize and create a separate realm for faith and one for "political realism." Don't rush to point out things Hillary has said (I'm not asking you to defend or vote for Hillary). Rather, with your faith in view, read through the Republican candidates words (some recent, some older) and simply ask how you will reconcile these things with your vote for Trump. Maybe you can, or maybe these words offer some cognitive dissonance.

A few notes, I tried to stick with direct quotes of Trump, not hearsay from third parties. I also am not masking over any language (so fair warning, there is lots of vulgar, innappropriate language you probably don't want your kids reading). I figured if we are contemplating a vote for him we cannot hid behind a shield of ignorance or naivete. Now, I'm shutting up. Here's the Republican candidate:


"I am not sure I have [ever asked God’s for forgiveness]. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't."

"You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."


"All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me - consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected”.


“If I told the real stories of my experiences with women, often seemingly very happily married and important women, this book would be a guaranteed best-seller.” In The Art of the Deal


In 2011, Trump called a female attorney who asked to take a break to breastfeed “disgusting.”


To female contestant on The Apprentice: “It must be a pretty picture. You dropping to your knees”.


“Fox viewers give low marks to bimbo @MegynKelly .”


About Carly Fiorina: "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"


To acquantaince AJ Benza: “A.J., any girl you have, I can take from you if I want. You’re full of shit. So any girl you have, I can take. That I guarantee. That was proven before.”


“The early victories by women on The Apprentice were to a very large extent dependent on their sex appeal.”


“I think [attorney] Gloria [Alllred] would be very very impressed with [my penis].”


“[Women,] you have to treat ‘em like shit.”


“A [woman] who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10 [out of 10].”


“[I would’ve slept with Princess Diana] without hesitation...she had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin….She was crazy, but these are minor details.”


“If you’re looking for a rocket scientist, don’t tune in tonight, but if you’re looking for a really beautiful woman, you should watch.” [About his Miss Universe pageant]


“[I’m going to make] bathing suits to be smaller and the heels to be higher.” [After purchasing the Miss USA pageant]


“The boob job is terrible — they look like two light posts coming out of a body.” [About Carmen Electra]


“[I want more kids with Melania] ‘Cause I like kids. I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds and she’ll take care of the kids. It’s not like I’m gonna be walking the kids down Central Park.”


"It’s true you have better hair than I do. But I get more pussy than you do.” [To journalist Tucker Carlson]


“I’ve been so lucky in terms of that whole world [of STD’s]. It is a dangerous world out there — it’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam era. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave solider...Although it’s better than Vietnam.”


“[Women who see me] will walk up, and they’ll flip their top, and they’ll flip their panties.”


“I’ll go backstage before a [beauty pageant] show and everyone is getting dressed and ready and everything else. And I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant, and therefore I’m inspecting it. They’re standing there with no clothes. Is everybody okay? And you see these incredible looking women. And so I sort of get away with things like that.” (On “The Howard Stern Show”)

“The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yamakas every day.”


“[McCain’s] not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you."


“I am actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.” (On ‘60 Minutes’)


“Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works...If it doesn’t work they deserve it anyway, for what they’re doing.” He has also pledged to “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.”


Lesley Stahl: “You’re religious?”
Trump: “Yeah, [I’m] religious. Hey, I won the evangelicals. The evangelicals--”
Stahl: “That doesn’t mean...”
Trump: “--well, I think it means a lot.”


“Now the poor guy, you ought to see the guy.” [While making mocking gestures of a reporter with a congenital disability.]


"I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot."


Howard Stern: By the way, your daughter [Ivanka]. Can I say this? A piece of ass.
Trump: Yeah.


"[My favorite line in Pulp Fiction is] when Sam has his gun out in the diner and he tells the guy to tell his girlfriend to shut up. Tell that bitch to be cool. Say: ‘Bitch, be cool.’ I love those lines."


“I think apologizing’s a great thing, but you have to be wrong. I will absolutely apologize, sometime in the hopefully distant future, if I’m ever wrong.”

"For many years I've said that if someone screws you, screw them back...When somebody hurts you, just go after them as viciously as you can. Like it says in the Bible, an eye for an eye."

"I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again." (Trump's response when asked about 2 of his supporters who attacked a homeless Mexican man)

"I figure [repealing restrictions on churches enddorsing political candidates] is probably, maybe the only way I'm going to get into heaven, so I better do a good job."

"The beauty of me is that I'm very rich."

"I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I'm more honest and my women are more beautiful."

"The point is that you can't be too greedy."

"The look obviously matters. Like you wouldn't have your job if you weren't beautiful." (To a female reporter)

"I've always said, 'If you need Viagra, you're probably with the wrong girl.'"

"I would bomb the shit out of [ISIS.] I would just bomb those suckers, and that's right, I'd blow up the pipes, I'd blow up the refineries, I'd blow up every single inch, there would be nothing left. And you know what? We'll get Exxon to come in there, you ever see these guys? How good they are, the great oil companies, they'll rebuild it brand new...and I'll take the oil."

"We need to knock the hell [out of ISIS]...We're fighting a very politically correct war. And the other thing is with the terrorists, you have to take out their families."

"[Military personnel] won't refuse [to carry out illegal actions I order.] They're not going to refuse me. Believe me...If I say to do it, they're going to do it."

Trump: "You know, and I moved on her. She was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her and I failed, I'll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married...And I moved on her very heavily, in fact I took her out furniture shopping...I said, 'I'll show you some nice furniture." I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there, and she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her; she's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look.

Billy Bush: "Sheesh, your girl's hot as shit" [referring to Arianne Zucker]

Trump: "Whoa, whoa!" 

Bush: "Yes, the Donald has scored."

Trump: "Look at you, you are a pussy....I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful-- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss, I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Whatever you want. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."

Bush: "Yeah those legs, all I can see is those legs."

Trump: "Oh, it looks good...Oh, nice legs, huh?

*This list does not include many of the countless degrading remarks Trump has made about many women (such as Rosie O'Donnell, Heidi Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Arianna Huffington, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Machado, and countless others.

Scandals in the Family

In the past few days I have seen several posts on Facebook and news stories concerning the scandals and accusations surrounding Seattle pastor, Mark Driscoll. In case you missed it, a fresh round of accusations has come his way and seem to be coming to a head. Some are the same old charges of misogyny, while newer concerns have also been raised about mismanagement of church funds. The most recent revelations have led the Acts 29 network to kick Driscoll and his church, Mars Hill, out of their fellowship, Lifeway publishers to pull Driscoll's books from shelves, and church members and others to protest outside the church demanding for Driscoll's resignation.

Pastor Mark Driscoll

For a number of Christians, this news no doubt excites them. I know numerous Christians who have criticized or made fun of Driscoll because of his theological stances which they viewed to be sexist or misogynistic. I myself would tend to agree and have never been greatly impressed by Driscoll's overall demeanor. So, now that things seem to be falling apart for Driscoll and his church, it would be easy to those who have criticized Driscoll in the past to pat themselves on the back and say, "I told you so. It was just a matter of time."

But now is not the time for gloating or for seeking vindication. Rather, I think now is a time for weeping. It is becoming clearer that the ministry built by and surrounding Driscoll has not always been very ethical. In fact, this is the central reason Acts 29 gave for removing Driscoll and Mars Hill from their membership. But this is not something to celebrate.

The previous two churches I attended have experienced scandals and church splits. I can say that this is not a joyful experience. While some of us may not care for the ministry approach (or sins) of Driscoll, we cannot forget that there are many members of his church who are caught in the crossfire of these controversies. Whether their pastor resigns or simply has his credibility damaged, this congregation will suffer. And, if some of us are right in asserting that he has failed to minister in an ethical or godly way, then we should also grieve that this congregation has not been served well for years.

But even beyond grieving for this particular congregation, incidents like this should cause us to weep for the entire Church. "There is one Body." You and I are connected to Driscoll and to his ministry whether we like it or not. We serve the same Savior King. We were baptized by the same Spirit. We are part of the same Body. And so, when one minister sins, even on the other side of the country, his (or her) sin impacts us all. It damages the credibility of the Church in the eyes of the world. It hurts our brothers and sisters in Christ. And it creates a distraction from the central mission Christ has given the Church.

And so, even though I personally don't care for Driscoll, I must suppress the urge--the temptation--to gloat or celebrate. As part of the Body of Christ I need to grieve. After all, I am called to love Driscoll and his church, despite the shortcomings. So, let us grieve for this situation and seek healing and forgiveness because the love of Christ compels us to do so.

"But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." 1 Cor. 12:24-26