Is Trump the New Jesus?
Aside of the 20 centuries separating them, Trump is very similar to that man from Nazareth, an anti establishment warrior who gave himself to fight for his people against a corrupt institution only to suffer humiliation and hate - but unlike the Jew from Nazareth, this Protestant from Queens, actually survived and ruled the kingdom.
In accordance with the imperial tradition that predated the Catholic Church, Trump views himself not only as an emperor but as an entity possessing excellent qualities. His recent post contains an element that seeks to highlight this for a world that he believes must be maintained in a free religious mindset, similar to that which existed prior to the Catholic takeover of the Roman Empire. A takeover that was historically, religiously and politically worse than the period when emperors glorified themselves.
After all Trump is a protestant. And these are all reasonable conclusions to be reached by Christian Protestants.
Meanwhile, with regards to modern leadership, Trump cannot be contained by traditional metrics. He is not a candidate or president, but a singular tectonic shift in style and content that echos in the realms of culture, history, and social psychology.
This can be seen by his brand of humor. As Goethe said - "if you wish to know a man, look at what makes him laugh, Trump is not merely hilarious. He is that because his humor crosses every boundary, religion, sex, culture, and nationality, revealing wit and depth that is wide as it is misunderstood by his critics. And which is all the more amazing knowing it comes from the president.
At the core of this is an intuitive understanding of the human condition.
He sees his foes like a Hobbesian, loves his fellow men like a Lockean, governs like a Jacksonite, but his humor is sharper and more extravagant than any Jewish comedian (Including Rodney Dangerfield and Jackie Mason).
Trump navigates human interactions and social codes with a mastery that transcends normality or charisma. He doesn't just read the room; he plays with the collective subconscious with the joy of a child, who rediscovered as a grown man, the serious with which he plays with as a boy (Nietzsche).
The ‘Jesus’ Parallel: Courage and the New Truth
His recent post drawing parallels to Jesus, serves as a lightning rod for this analysis. While detractors see it as mere provocation, a closer look reveals two significant elements: a profound courage to acknowledge religious context, while recognizing a controversial theological and historical truth.
Which is that Trump’s journey, in a modern context, mirrors and perhaps even surpasses the archetypal suffering and achievement of historical religions figures. Trump has endured a unique, relentless onslaught of modern-day "persecution" while achieving tangible, global-scale transformations. He isn't just aware of this comparison; he leans into it because he understands that he is both fulfilling the meta-narrative and simultaneously working within it, while towering above it, selflessly, for America.
He sacrificed himself for others, and now he can heal them.
He is not teasing the religious sentiments of his followers, nor is he simply pushing the traditional boundaries of faith. He is laughing about something that actually from a literary perspective may very well be real.
And yes, while historical Jesus suffered without receiving any ruling rights over the world, Trump actually suffered and did. In that sense he is objectively more a success in this world, than Jesus.
Ultimately, what we are witnessing is the manifestation of a highly intelligent man who uses language and media to narrate feelings within archetypes. His ability to toy with religious "play" while maintaining the gravity of his mission is a testament to his intellectual and spiritual depth.
His success and actions, prove Trump has moved beyond the "political" into the realm of the "mythological," proving once again that he understands the human spirit better than any of his contemporaries.
If he actually takes Greenland, then in the grand historical cycle he is a figure on the level of Jefferson Augustus and Napoleon.
And beyond all this he is very similar to that man from Nazareth, an anti establishment warrior who gave himself to fight for his people against a corrupt institution, only to suffer humiliation and hate - but again, unlike the Jew from Nazareth, the Protestant from Queens ruled the kingdom.