The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American

by Andrew L. Seidel

On April 30, 1973, Nixon announced that three White House staffers—Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, Deputy Attorney General Richard Kleindienst, and Chief Domestic Advisor John Ehrlichman—had resigned and that White House Counsel John Dean had been fired. It was Nixon’s first address to the nation about “the Watergate affair.” Nixon spoke to the nation from his “heart” and found occasion to mention “Christmas”—in April—and “God-given rights.”4 The address marks the first of many times a US President concluded an address with an appeal for supernatural support: “I ask for your prayers to help me in everything that I do throughout the days of my presidency. God bless America and God bless each and every one of you.”5 The four staffers were later convicted of, among other crimes, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. Nixon had resigned within eighteen months. That wasn’t the only time Nixon used religion and this phrase in particular to distract from his wrongdoing. Eleven months later, Nixon’s popularity had plummeted, his desperation soared, and his impeachment loomed larger, so he set off on a tour to win over southern members of the House committee in charge of that impeachment. His first stop was the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where he closed the evening by playing “God Bless America” on the piano.6 (Trump set off a national debate when he tweeted about bible classes in public schools just days after his close associate Roger Stone was arrested and the day bef...