Abstract

This research aims to better understand religious expression in accepting and rejecting political candidates. Donald Trump’s campaigns between 2016 and 2024 for the US presidency involved widespread controversy and national discord. Much of this tension centered on Trump’s perceived morality and values as a presidential candidate. Special attention has been given by scholars in their work to the role the Christian Right played in Trump’s 2016 political victory. However, less focus has been placed on general religious rhetoric, which repelled or attracted 2016 and 2020 voters. A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) method was utilized to explore and synthesize religious expression through supporters and detractors of Trump, as noted in scholarship related to the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. The sample consisted of thirty-eight publications. This QIMS revealed five themes: Trump as Christian, Trump as un-Christian but a divine instrument of God, Trump as antithetical to Christianity, Muslims are detrimental to America, and spiritual warfare as political.