Over the past three years, some Christians have come to the conclusion that President Trump’s policies are more important than his personality or his past life. On the other hand, some conservatives and Christians just can’t seem to move past Mr. Trump’s immoral behavior from decades past.
In all disclosure, I voted for Senator Ted Cruz during the 2016 primary. I was skeptical as to whether candidate Trump was fully committed to conservative causes such as protecting life and religious liberty. After Trump won the Republican nomination I did not hesitate to rally behind and vote for him in November of 2016. I understood that our country had a better chance at conservative policies being implemented with Trump than it did with Hillary Clinton.
As it turns out, President Trump has greatly exceeded my expectations. He has executed on his promises to protect life, defend religious liberty, and appoint constitutional judges. I give the president an A+ on policy. I give the president a C on personality. In my opinion, the name-calling is unnecessary. I like that the president fights back against his enemies but sometimes it would just be better if the president ignored his foes.
As an aside, people I talk to who know the president personally say that in private the president is actually very personable and respectful.
At the end of the day I have to ask myself, does the president’s C rating on personality really matter in the grand scheme of things?
I would argue that it doesn’t. The president’s personality is not how Donald Trump will be remembered. The policies that he puts into place is how he should be remembered. Did the president enact policies that bettered our country? That’s what really counts.
I think that the presidency of Donald Trump has caused some in the conservative movement to reexamine their priorities when it comes to elected officials. If an elected official has a good personality and has lived a mostly moral life does that make them a good president? Not at all.
President Obama was considered a good “family man” yet his policies were horrific. President Obama’s policies encouraged the killing of unborn children and he consistently undermined relations with Israel. The list of damning policies is lengthy.
Pro-family leader, Dr. James Dobson, put out a statement in 2016 which reads in part, “Only the Lord knows the condition of a person’s heart. I can only tell you what I’ve heard. First, Trump appears to be tender to things of the Spirit. I also hear that Paula White has known Trump for years and that she personally led him to Christ. Do I know that for sure? No. Do I know the details of that alleged conversion? I can’t say that I do.” What if Donald Trump is a born-again believer that is young in his faith and is still learning the ways of Christian life? This very well could be the case.
While personality and past behavior are vitally important in electing our leaders, I urge conservatives to focus more on policy than on personality when it comes to the ballot box. Personality is temporary, policies affect every day Americans. The president’s policies have greatly benefited the American people.
