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Why did 'Presbyterian' Trump become non-denominational Christian? Internet says 'he's eying evangelical votes'

The president said evangelical Christians 'are passionate about America’s traditional values and want our churches to be open'

Despite being raised as a Presbyterian, President Donald Trump said he views himself as a “non-denominational Christian” now. In an exclusive written interview with Religious News Service (RNS), Trump said, “Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child, I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian.” The POTUS did not provide an explanation for his transformation, but said evangelical Christians “are passionate about America’s traditional values and want our churches to be open. Thankfully, many great churches are now back open and meeting in person.”

Though Trump appreciated the reopening of churches, religious places and events have been the hot spot for the spread of the Covid-19. Recently, an event that happened at the United House of Prayer For All People in Charlotte, North Carolina, was reportedly behind about a hundred Covid-19 positive cases and three deaths.

In his exclusive interview with RNS, Trump also said evangelical Christians are “amazing people [who] love the USA and have a genuine desire to work together for the betterment of all Americans. I appreciate their prayers and am encouraged by their great faith.” He said his parents “taught me the importance of faith and prayer from a young age. Melania and I have gotten to visit some amazing churches and meet with great faith leaders from around the world.” The Republican leader also credited his faith for his recovery from the coronavirus after contracting it a few weeks ago. “During the unprecedented Covid-19 outbreak, I tuned into several virtual church services and know that millions of Americans did the same,” he explained.

Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center after he tested positive for the virus. For his swift recovery, he was provided with supplementary oxygen, Remdesivir, an experimental antibody treatment - called Regeneron - and steroid dexamethasone. Speaking of Regeneron after his recovery, the 74-year-old said: “For me, it was a cure. It wasn't therapeutic. It was a cure.” He also claimed to feel like “superman” after taking the drug and in an interview with Fox News, he stated: “I took a certain medicine that was very miraculous to me – and I really don't think it's just in the head. I just felt very good. You would have sort of a sore throat, but I felt really very good after taking this for a period of time. It’s a transfusion, not a shot. I’d like to send it to everybody. We're going to send it to everybody free of charge."

Trump’s unexpected transformation as an evangelical Christian came just two weeks away from the presidential elections. In 2016, when he was running for the first time for the White House, he received a lot of support from white evangelical communities across the country. The group made up approximately a quarter of all the voters, out of which around 81 percent reportedly gave their vote to Trump.

A lot of people on Twitter also reacted to Trump’s sudden change in beliefs as one tweeted, "Donald Trump says he now identifies as a 'non-denominational Christian' despite his Presbyterian upbringing. Trumpy will say ANYTHING to get the religious vote, especially evangelicals." Another posted, “Glad he still identifies as spiritual.  I hope his new church is a better fit than Presbyterian churches. As a Presbyterian, I have long wondered why he follows so few tenets of our faith. If it was a bad fit, he is correct to keep searching. I do hope he finds something.” Another one said, “Trump wasn't "raised" Presbyterian, the family just occasionally went there. Barron was baptized in the Episcopal church; however, they irked Trump by writing a disapproving piece on him after the protests. He turns to religion when he needs votes.” “Actually, I think the bigger news here is that he would not self-identify as evangelical, but instead gave an answer that is essentially the same (non-denom is a sub-group of evangelicalism).  In other words, he wants the evangelical vote, but he doesn’t want the label,” added a third user.