“I think God is very proud of the job I’ve done.”^[1]

When this statement appeared in news reports on January 20, 2026, many readers likely had one of two reactions. Some nodded in agreement, seeing it as a leader acknowledging divine blessing. Others recoiled, recognizing something spiritually dangerous in the claim. But beneath our immediate reactions lies a more troubling question: When did American Christianity start speaking about politicians the way we speak about the Messiah?

This isn’t primarily a political question. It’s a theological one. And it demands that we examine not just what leaders claim about themselves, but what we as Christians have come to believe and proclaim about them. The stakes aren’t merely cultural or electoral. They’re spiritual. They concern the church’s witness, the gospel’s clarity, and our fundamental allegiance.

A Symbiotic Pattern

Before we examine the evidence, we need to understand what we’re looking at. This isn’t simply Christians projecting messianic hopes onto unwilling leaders. Nor is it merely leaders being arrogant without Christian enablement. What we’re witnessing is a symbiotic relationship where each side validates and reinforces the other.

Political leaders cultivate messianic imagery through their language and positioning. Christians embrace and amplify that imagery through prophecies, declarations, and rhetoric that positions these leaders as divinely anointed saviors rather than fallible public servants. Each side gives the other permission to continue. Leaders see their self-positioning validated by Christian endorsement. Christians see their messianic language validated by leaders who welcome and encourage it.

This isn’t new, and it isn’t confined to one side of the political spectrum. During Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, explicitly messianic language emerged from supporters. Actor Jamie Foxx told a Soul Train Awards audience to “give honor to God and our Lord and Savior Barack Obama.”^[2] Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader, declared Obama was “absolutely” the Messiah.^[3] Oprah Winfrey called him “The One.” Journalist Ezra Klein wrote that Obama was “not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh.”^[4] School children sang worship-style songs about Obama; youth groups marched chanting “Alpha, Omega!”–a divine title from Revelation–before giving testimonies about what their “Obama-messiah” would do for them.^[5] The New York Times reported that Obama volunteers at “Camp Obama” were instructed to “testify” about how they “came to Obama” using the same language Christians use for conversion.^[6] The phenomenon was so widespread that a website, “Is Barack Obama the Messiah?”, was created to document it.^[7]

The result is political messianism that has become normalized across partisan lines–and a gospel witness that the watching world can no longer distinguish from political tribalism.

Christians’ Messianic Rhetoric

Let’s start with what believers have said. Since 2015, a consistent pattern of messianic language has emerged from influential Christian leaders. This isn’t fringe rhetoric from unknown figures–it represents widespread teaching that has shaped how millions of American Christians understand political engagement.

Lance Wallnau, a self-proclaimed prophet with millions of followers globally, claims he received a prophecy in 2015 when meeting with Donald Trump.^[8] God told him, Wallnau says, that Trump has a “Cyrus anointing”–referencing Isaiah 45 where God calls the Persian king Cyrus “his anointed.”^3 This framework–that Trump is uniquely chosen by God–has become foundational in much evangelical political theology.

Mark Taylor, a retired firefighter, claimed to receive “The Commander-in-Chief Prophecy” in 2011.^[9] His prophecies, published in “The Trump Prophecies” and adapted into a film by Liberty University, declared: “The Spirit of God says I’ve chosen this man, Donald Trump, for such a time as this.”^[10] Taylor described Trump as “anointed” and “fearless,” signing some prophecies “Your Supreme Commander, God.”^7

Paula White, Trump’s spiritual advisor and former White House staffer, regularly referred to his presidency as “anointed.”^[11] In 2019, she declared that to oppose Trump was to “go against the hand of God.”^9

Jonathan Cahn, bestselling author, spoke at the National Faith Summit before the 2024 election, declaring that Trump was called “according to the template of Jehu, the warrior king.”^[12] At the Million Women March, Cahn prophesied that “Jehu will cast down Jezebel,” comparing Harris to the biblical villain.^11

The pattern is clear and widespread: messianic language, divine election, special anointing. This isn’t Christians simply saying “God is sovereign over all leaders” (biblical). This is declaring that one particular leader is uniquely chosen and anointed by God in ways that position him as more than a public servant–as a quasi-savior figure.

Trump’s Messianic Self-Positioning

But the pattern isn’t one-sided. Simultaneously, we see consistent cultivation of messianic imagery from the leader himself. Consider the documented timeline:

On August 21, 2019, while discussing the China trade war on the White House South Lawn, Trump looked to the heavens with outstretched arms and declared: “I am the chosen one.”^[13] That same day, he enthusiastically retweeted Wayne Allyn Root describing him as “the King of Israel” and “the second coming of God,” adding “Wow!” and thanking Root for “very nice words.”^[14]

After the July 2024 assassination attempt, Trump’s language intensified. “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” he said.^[15] “I had God on my side.” At the Republican National Convention: “I stand here before you in this arena by the grace of almighty God.”^[16]

In his January 20, 2025 inaugural address, Trump declared: “I was saved by God to make America great again.”^[17]

And then, on January 20, 2026, at the one-year anniversary briefing, when a reporter referenced last year’s statement about God putting him there to “save the world,” Trump responded: “I think God is very proud of the job I’ve done.”^[18]

This isn’t a leader occasionally thanking God or acknowledging divine providence. This is a consistent pattern over five-plus years of progressively escalating messianic claims–from “the chosen one” to claiming God’s emotional pride in his work. This is a leader actively cultivating messianic interpretation, claiming not just divine protection but divine mandate and approval.

The Biblical Distinction: Pride vs. Pleasing

This brings us to a critical theological question: What’s wrong with a leader saying “God is proud of me”? Doesn’t Scripture talk about pleasing God?

Yes–but there’s a vast difference between seeking to please God and declaring that God is proud of you. This distinction reveals whether we understand the gospel at all.

Scripture does speak about pleasing God. “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10). “How you ought to walk and to please God” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). “We make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

But notice the posture in these passages. We seek to please Him. We aim to please Him. We learn how to please Him. These verses describe a humble posture of submission–seeking alignment with God’s will, recognizing Him as the judge of our faithfulness, acknowledging that we cannot fully know His assessment of us.

Now consider the posture of biblical leaders when they encountered God’s holiness. Paul called himself “the foremost” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)–not “God is proud of me.” David was a man after God’s own heart, yet when confronted by the prophet Nathan, he recognized his desperate need for mercy (2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51). Isaiah, in the presence of God’s holiness, cried out “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). The tax collector in Jesus’ parable beat his breast and could only say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)–and Jesus said this man went home justified, while the Pharisee who listed his accomplishments did not.

The consistent pattern of Scripture is humility before God, not presumption. It is seeking His favor, not declaring we have it. It is recognizing our unworthiness, not claiming His pride.

“Am I pleasing to God?” is the humble question of a servant seeking to align with the Master’s will. “God is proud of me” is a presumptuous claim about God’s emotional state–positioning oneself as judge of God’s assessment rather than submitting to it. One demonstrates humility; the other demonstrates pride. One seeks God’s approval; the other declares it.

Scripture is not silent about such presumption. “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 16:5). “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector exists precisely to warn against this kind of spiritual arrogance.

When a leader claims “God is proud of me,” he steps into dangerous theological territory. He presumes to know God’s mind. He positions himself as worthy of divine pride rather than as an unworthy servant saved by grace. And when Christians accept and amplify such claims, we endorse categories that Scripture finds presumptuous. We’ve normalized language that biblical faith would recognize as prideful.

This isn’t about political disagreement. It’s about theological error. It’s about losing biblical categories for how we relate to God.

Biblical Framework: Heavenly Citizenship

Which brings us to what Scripture actually teaches about our ultimate allegiance. In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul provides a framework that directly addresses our moment. He writes to believers in Philippi–a Roman colony whose citizens were proud of their Roman citizenship–and tells them where their primary identity truly lies.

Paul begins with an exhortation: “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (v. 17). He’s not being arrogant. He’s saying, “Follow me as I follow Christ”–demonstrating a pattern of life where Christ comes first and everything else is secondary.

Then comes a sobering warning: “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ” (v. 18). These aren’t hostile outsiders. They’re professing believers whose lives contradict the gospel. And Paul weeps over them because he knows where this path leads.

How does he identify them? “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (v. 19). Something created has become ultimate for them. They’ve made earthly concerns–pleasure, power, comfort, security–into functional gods. They’ve organized their lives around achieving earthly outcomes rather than treasuring Christ.

The phrase “set their minds on earthly things” is critical for understanding political messianism. Paul isn’t saying “Don’t care about earthly matters.” He’s saying “Don’t make earthly matters ultimate.” Politics matters–we should engage. But politics isn’t ultimate–we can’t make it ultimate. When political outcomes become our ultimate hope, when electoral victory gives us the security that should come from Christ alone, when partisan identity becomes our primary identity–we’ve set our minds on earthly things.

Then Paul provides the corrective: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (v. 20-21).

Our primary citizenship is in heaven. This was powerful language for the Philippians, who took great pride in their Roman citizenship. Paul is telling them: You have a higher allegiance. You await a different Savior–not Caesar, but Jesus. Your hope isn’t in political power but in Christ’s transforming work.

This doesn’t mean political disengagement. Philippi’s Roman citizenship was real and mattered. But it was secondary to their heavenly citizenship. Similarly, our earthly citizenship is real and God-given. We should vote, engage, advocate for justice, work for flourishing. But our primary allegiance is to Christ’s kingdom. Our ultimate hope is in His return, not in electoral outcomes. Our deepest identity is “in Christ,” not in a political party.

What does this heavenly citizenship look like practically? It means holding strong political convictions without making them ultimate. It means experiencing deep grief when our nation sins, but not despair when “our side” loses. It means maintaining unity with believers who vote differently because our shared identity in Christ transcends our political differences. It means engaging politically as citizens of heaven representing Christ’s values on earth–not as political tribalists who happen to attend church.

The Spiritual Diagnosis

So what does this symbiotic pattern of political messianism reveal? At its core, it reveals misplaced ultimate hope. This isn’t primarily about policy disagreements or political passion. It’s about where we’re placing our ultimate trust.

When Christians use messianic language about political leaders, we reveal that we’ve lost biblical categories for political engagement. We’ve allowed a discipleship that doesn’t address ultimate allegiance. We’ve become vulnerable to treating leaders as saviors. And our witness is compromised–the watching world sees no difference between Christians and partisan tribalists.

When leaders use messianic language and claim divine approval, they reveal prideful presumption. They step into dangerous spiritual territory, claiming to know God’s mind and cultivating language that encourages idolatry. This should be a warning sign for discerning believers.

The mutual reinforcement is the most dangerous part. Christians’ messianic rhetoric validates leaders’ self-positioning. Leaders’ messianic claims encourage Christians’ political idolatry. Each side gives the other permission to continue. The result is that political messianism becomes normalized on both sides.

How did we get here? Through a discipleship failure. We’ve taught Christianity as moral improvement rather than as a radical shift in ultimate allegiance. We haven’t helped believers identify their functional gods–the things they’re actually trusting to provide security, significance, and hope. We haven’t asked the hard questions: Where do you find ultimate security? Where do you find ultimate significance? What are you really hoping in? Who are you really trusting?

And so we have Christians whose sense of security rises and falls with political outcomes. Believers who experience their significance through partisan identity rather than identity in Christ. People who hope ultimately in political victory rather than in Christ’s return. This is functional idolatry–and it damages our gospel witness.

The watching world sees Christians who are indistinguishable from partisan tribalists. They see us treat fallible leaders as infallible. They see us refuse to name idolatry when it appears in “our camp.” They see us conflate the gospel with a political agenda. And they rightly conclude that we don’t actually believe Christ is sufficient.

This isn’t just about politics getting too heated. It’s about the church’s fundamental witness. It’s about whether we really believe that Christ offers what politics cannot. It’s about whether our citizenship is truly in heaven.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We’ve examined the pattern–Christians’ messianic rhetoric and leaders’ messianic self-positioning creating mutual reinforcement. We’ve explored the biblical framework that exposes the error–the distinction between seeking to please God and claiming His pride, the warning against setting our minds on earthly things, the call to remember our heavenly citizenship.

We’ve diagnosed what this reveals–misplaced ultimate hope, loss of biblical categories, and discipleship that has failed to address functional idolatry.

The diagnosis is clear: We’ve made politics ultimate. We’ve treated political leaders with messianic language. We’ve organized our lives around electoral outcomes. We’ve lost the ability to distinguish between faithful political engagement and political idolatry.

But diagnosis alone isn’t enough. What does faithful citizenship actually look like? How do we engage politically without making politics ultimate? How do we hold strong convictions without turning them into ultimate allegiances? How do we maintain gospel unity with believers who vote differently?

Part 2 will explore these questions. Because the gospel offers something better than political messianism. Christ provides the security, significance, community, hope, and identity that we’ve been asking politics to deliver. And heavenly citizenship–properly understood–gives us both the freedom to engage politically and the framework to do so without idolatry.

The path forward begins with honest examination. Which brings us to some questions we need to ask ourselves.

For Reflection:

• Where in our lives does political victory or defeat affect our sense of security more than our confidence in Christ’s finished work? What does this reveal about what we’re actually trusting?
• Think about the language we use when discussing political leaders we support. How does it compare to how we speak about Christ–and what might the similarities or differences reveal about our ultimate allegiance?
• When have we found ourselves more unified with fellow partisans who don’t share our faith than with believers who vote differently? What does this say about whether our heavenly citizenship shapes our earthly engagement?
• What would change in our political engagement if we truly believed Christ offers the security, significance, and hope we’re asking politics to deliver?
• How might the watching world’s perception of the gospel be affected when they see us treating political leaders with language Scripture reserves for the Messiah?

Prayer Points:

• For Discernment: Ask God to help you see where you’ve made politics ultimate, where you’ve used or accepted messianic language about leaders, and where you’ve lost biblical categories.
• For Repentance: Confess specific ways you’ve placed ultimate hope in political outcomes rather than Christ, and ask God to realign your heart toward heavenly citizenship.
• For Humility: Pray for grace to seek to please God rather than presuming to know His approval, and to recognize our position as unworthy servants saved by grace.
• For the Church: Pray that believers would recover biblical understanding of political engagement, that we’d name idolatry wherever it appears, and that our witness wouldn’t be compromised by partisan allegiance.
• For Leaders: Pray for political leaders to govern with humility and recognition of accountability to God, and for the courage to speak truth even when it’s politically costly.

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^[1]Associated Press, “Trump says ‘God is very proud’ of the job he’s doing in the White House,” PBS NewsHour, January 20, 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-god-is-very-proud-of-the-job-hes-doing-in-the-white-house.

^[2]Multiple sources documented Jamie Foxx’s statement at the 2012 Soul Train Awards, including video footage widely circulated online.

^[3]Max Blumenthal, “Obama, the Fallen Messiah,” HuffPost, December 7, 2017 (originally published 2009), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/obama-the-fallen-messiah_b_404531. Farrakhan made this declaration in a dramatic address to his followers.

^[4]Jonah Goldberg, “The Messianic Temptation,” The Dispatch, April 10, 2024, https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/gfile/the-messianic-temptation/. This article provides extensive documentation of messianic language surrounding Obama, including the Ezra Klein quote and numerous other examples.

^[5]Video documentation of school children singing Obama worship songs and youth groups using divine titles circulated widely during and after the 2008 campaign. See documentation compiled at various news outlets during this period.

^[6]Goldberg, “The Messianic Temptation.” The New York Times reported on “Camp Obama” volunteer training in 2008.

^[7]The website “Is Barack Obama the Messiah?” (isaackobamathe messiah.com) documented messianic language and imagery surrounding Obama during his presidency. As Goldberg notes, supporters uncomfortable with explicit “messiah” terminology opted for alternatives like “lightworker” or “secular redeemer.”

^[8]Kathryn Post, “5 faith leaders who compare Trump to Cyrus, Israel’s messiah,” Religion News Service, October 30, 2018, https://religionnews.com/2018/10/30/5-faith-leaders-who-compare-trump-to-cyrus-israels-messiah/.

^[9]Mark Taylor, “The Commander-in-Chief Prophecy” (April 28, 2011), documented in Religion News Service and National Catholic Reporter coverage.

^[10]Jason Horowitz, “The ‘S.N.L.’ presidency and the return of prophecy,” National Catholic Reporter, March 2, 2017, https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/snl-presidency-and-return-prophecy.

^[11]Katy Scoggin, “Donald Trump and the ‘Anointing,’” The New Humanist, January 31, 2017, https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/5064/donald-trump-and-the-anointing.

^[12]Canaan Lidor, “Prominent evangelical rabbi Jonathan Cahn compares Trump to biblical warrior king Jehu,” Times of Israel, October 22, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/prominent-evangelical-rabbi-jonathan-cahn-compares-trump-to-biblical-warrior-king-jehu/.

^[13]Jeremy Diamond, “Trump says he is ‘the chosen one’ on trade war with China,” CNN, August 21, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/21/politics/donald-trump-chosen-one/index.html; also reported by Washington Post, Times of Israel, National Catholic Reporter, and Religion News Service.

^[14]Jeremy Diamond and Sarah Westwood, “Trump retweets conspiracy theorist who claims Israelis love him like ‘King of Israel’ and the ‘second coming of God,’” CNN, August 21, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/21/politics/donald-trump-king-of-israel/index.html; also reported by Washington Post, Times of Israel, and other outlets.

^[15]Associated Press, “After assassination attempt, Trump says ‘God alone’ prevented his death,” NPR, July 14, 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/07/14/g-s1-10353/trump-assassination-attempt-rally-shooting.

^[16]Multiple sources reported Trump’s Republican National Convention speech, including CNN, NPR, and Rolling Stone.

^[17]Yahoo News and multiple mainstream outlets reported Trump’s inaugural address statement, January 20, 2025.

^[18]Associated Press, “Trump says ‘God is very proud’ of the job he’s doing in the White House.”