MAGA was white Christian nationalism shorn of biblical references, but with the same deep story. “Disaster” replaced “apocalypse.” Broken promises to the “forgotten man” replaced a broken covenant with the Puritans’ God. Though race, religion, and nation were still tightly entangled, both in the equation of “Muslim/Arab/terrorist” and of “white/evangelical/patriot.” There was nothing subtle about it. Trump and his followers reveled in “saying the quiet part out loud” as a way of “owning the libs.” Audiences cheered Trump’s “honest” talk about “shithole countries,” “pig’s blood,” and “banging
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