When a Trump rally feels like a tent revival – By Samuel Benson (Deseret News) / April 11, 2024
Religion and politics have mixed for a long time, but the present moment feels different
Misty Grace came for spiritual revival. As the music blared above, Grace raised both hands in the air, one palm open. The other clutched a small, wooden cross. She bowed her head and swayed side to side.
“I was led by the Holy Spirit to come here,” she told me. “I came to intercede for Trump.”
By the time Grace arrived at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay on a recent Tuesday, all the seats had already been taken. Grace found a spot near the back. Never mind that this was a political rally, not a church, and that the songs booming from the speakers were Elvis and Johnny Cash, not hymns. Never mind that former President Donald Trump — the rally’s main attraction — had yet to make an appearance. To Grace, this was a form of worship.
Grace isn’t alone. At Trump rallies across the country, from Wisconsin to South Carolina to New Hampshire, some attendees come for a religious experience. Some feel empowered by the invocations, offered by a local pastor, at the beginning of the rallies. Others feel a rush of emotion when Trump takes the stage and speaks. Others still, like Grace, are newcomers — this was her first Trump rally — and feel guided to attend.
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