Trump embraces wealth and power while ignoring truth

A few weeks ago a friend placed a book in my hands. He suggested I read it and write about it. The title is “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” by Timothy Snyder.

Snyder is the Levin Professor of History at Yale University and author of several books about authoritarianism, including reminders of Hitler, Stalin and the Holocaust. A recent revision of “On Tyranny” includes material on Putin and the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

Snyder is a historian of fascism, and his book published in 2017, is a warning to America — to us! Wake up folks! He must have seen something coming, as Trump entered office in January 2017. He offers some suggestions for resisting and surviving a turn to authoritarianism.

I was most taken with his lesson number nine, “Be Kind to Our Language.” This lesson includes the idea of separating ourselves from the internet and “reading books.” This lesson speaks loudly to a guy who donated six bags of books for the library book sale, and then paid for and carried three bags back home.

The conclusion to Snyder’s ninth lesson was what really caught my eye. He writes, “Christians might return to the foundational book, which as ever is very timely.” Guess what? He’s talking about the Bible! Seriously Timothy, you mean there are some things in the Bible appropriate to our current political situation, and speak to the issue of tyranny?

He suggests three sayings of Jesus. The first is, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” 

As of this month, the estimated net worth of President Donald Trump is approximately $6.5 billion to $7.3 billion. According to Forbes, his wealth has increased significantly during his second term in office, almost doubling from 2024 to early 2026. (To think, a friend who supports him does so because he doesn’t accept his salary). He may have enough money to guarantee entrance to the world’s wealthiest elite, but unfortunately, according to Scripture, his future is in serious jeopardy.

And that goes for all those other billionaires controlling the U.S. economy, and under this president, the government as well. The net worth of billionaires in the Trump Administration is estimated at $450 billion, more than the GDP of 175 different countries. The net worth of just his Cabinet is $7.5 billion, the richest Cabinet in U.S. history.

The second saying is also familiar but seemingly unknown to this president. “Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Trump is the only president in modern history who would like his name, picture or imprint on everything. It’s not just the Kennedy Center, it’s a pass to our national parks or the currency in our billfold. He even has “Trump Accounts” for our children and banners with his picture flying from government buildings.

Notice how much of the news, each and every evening, centers on the president and his activities. And with each and every new effort to be the center of attention, here in this country and worldwide, his persona and legacy become more and more fragile and scorned.

Exalted? Try humility for a change, Mr. President!

And the third and final saying of Jesus quoted by Snyder is: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

It’s harder to know the “Truth” these days with a capital T. We all need to confess some bias, especially when it comes to politics and governmental policy. But as income disparities grow and fact-checking becomes more available, there are some generally reliable indicators of extreme bias and obvious lies.

During his first term in office, The Washington Post documented 30,573 false or misleading claims by Donald Trump. That term ended in the Big Lie, that he had actually won the 2020 election. Historian Douglas Brinkley calls Trump a “serial liar.” Carole McGranahan in the American Ethnologist calls him the most “accomplished and effective liar” ever to have participated in American politics. Steve Bannon once suggested Trump should deal with his adversarial press by “flooding them with shit.”

The truth will make you free Donald! And the rest of us as well!

Carl Kline of Brookings is a United Church of Christ clergyman and adjunct faculty member at the Mt. Marty College campus in Watertown. He is a founder and on the planning committee of the Brookings Interfaith Council, co-founder of Nonviolent Alternatives, a small not-for-profit that, for 15 years, provided intercultural experiences with Lakota/Dakota people in the Northern Plains and brought conflict resolution and peer mediation programs to schools around the region. He was one of the early participants in the development of Peace Brigades International. Kline can be reached at carl@satyagrahainstitute.org. This column originally appeared in the Brookings Register.

Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons

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