Mark Burns, an evangelical pastor, explains that Trump’s supporters don’t think of him as a godlike figure, even as the President posts pictures of himself as Jesus.
By Isaac Chotiner
Photograph by Orlando Ramirez / Getty
Last week at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club, a group of religious leaders dedicated a twenty-two-foot golden statue to President Donald Trump, the resort’s owner. During the ceremony, Trump called in and described the statue as “beautiful.” The event was presided over by Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime Trump supporter, while the idea for the statue came from a group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts who support the President, and used its creation to sell a meme coin called $PATRIOT. According to Burns, Trump was originally scheduled to attend the ceremony in person, but apparently changed plans amid criticism for posting, and later deleting, an A.I.-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ. (Burns later took to social media to strongly deny that the statue represented a form of idol worship.)
I recently spoke by phone with Burns, who is the senior pastor at the Harvest Praise & Worship Center, in Easley, South Carolina, and the founder of the internationally broadcast NOW evangelical television network. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed the backstory behind the statue, why Burns believes God told him to support Trump, and why he thinks opponents of the President misunderstand how his supporters really see him.
How did you come to be a person who is sometimes described as President Trump’s spiritual adviser?
Well, just being a very, very early supporter. Before he announced, I was in his orbit, and I guess it was about being loyal to the word of God for me. For me, it’s never been about power or position. Remember, he was considered by many people a long shot to even win the Presidency. And so early on, I was there, and the Lord told me then. The first thing the Lord told me was to show the world that this man’s not a racist.
The Lord told you directly, you mean?
Well, yes, yes, absolutely, He told me directly. Yes. The Bible’s very clear that He speaks to us through dreams. He speaks to us through the word of the Lord. And so He told me to show the world that this man is not a racist. I know what real racism looks like, being from the Deep South, and it’s not Donald Trump. And that’s where my relationship started. And, of course, I didn’t know he was going to become President.
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