Political analyst David Axelrod, who was instrumental in getting Barack Obama elected to the White House in 2008, has slammed former president Trump’s decision to bring out his own set of Bibles in an attempt to boost his campaign coffers.
‘This is a guy who has violated 11 of the Ten Commandments’, Axelrod said in response to a Truth Social posting by the former president who released a video message touting the book he has claimed in the past to be his ‘favorite’.
‘Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible,’ Trump said in a video message earlier this week.
‘All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book. It’s a lot of people’s favorite book,’ he added.
The Bibles are priced at $59.99 and printed alongside both Old and New Testaments sit the U.S. Constitution. Bill of Rights. Declaration of Independence and Pledge of Allegiance.
Donald Trump is hawking $60 Bibles in partnership as he faces a serious cash crunch
This is a guy who has violated 11 of the Ten Commandments’, political analyst David Axelrod, pictured, said upon hearing the news the former president is to hawk Bibles now
Trump’s Bibles feature the words ‘Holy Bible’ and ‘God Bless the USA’ on the front
Trump’s sales pitch comes as the former president faces a serious cash crunch and mounting legal bills.
The cover of the Bible contains the words ‘Holy Bible’ and ‘God Bless the USA’ and a design based on the US flag.
The website touts it as ‘the only Bible endorsed by President Trump!’
The Bible is described as ‘easy-to-read’ with ‘large print’ and a ‘slim design’ that ‘invites you to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time.’
The website insists the Bible is not funding Trump’s presidential campaign, noting it’s ‘not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.’
Instead it’s one of the criminally indicted, twice-divorced former president’s latest money-making venture along with his Trump-branded sneakers.
‘Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country,’ Trump says in his Bible pitch.
‘And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and we have to bring them back fast. I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country.’
He goes on to say: ‘We love God and we have to protect anything that is pro God. It’s very important to me. I want a lot of people to have it. You have to have it for your heart and your soul.
He concludes with a twist on his campaign slogan, saying: ‘We must make America pray again.’
Trump remains popular with evangelical Christians and The Bible is the best selling book in the world.
The selling of Bibles is the latest venture by Trump to raise cash quick.
Trump was not a regular churchgoer, nor did he embark in displays of faith before running for president.
President Donald Trump poses with a bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church in June 2020
Indeed, his 2016 presidential campaign saw a series of gaffes as he attempted to court evangelicals which he realized could deliver him the White House.
During a Family Leadership Summit in Iowa in 2015, Trump said he had never asked God for forgiveness.
Later, when asked to name his favorite Bible verse, he appeared unable to do so but said he ‘didn’t want to get into specifics’ calling it ‘very personal.’
When asked whether he preferred the Old Testament to the New Testament – he simply responded, ‘Probably equal.’
In January 2016, Trump cited a verse describing it as ‘Two Corinthians’ instead of ‘Second Corinthians’.
The flub drew laughter from the crowd and he was later mocked by his GOP rivals.
In June 2020, Trump famously marched out of the White House and across Lafayette Square, which police forcefully cleared of George Floyd / Black Lives Matter protesters, and posed outside the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, while holding a Bible up in the air.
A reporter asked: ‘Is that your Bible?’
‘It’s a Bible’, Trump replied.
In 2019, Trump appeared in Alabama where he signed Bibles following devastating tornadoes
After signing one 12-year-old boy’s religious text, a frenzy ensued with others vying to have their Bibles branded with Trump’s distinctive, frenetic signature
It’s unclear how much Trump stands to make from this latest business deal but it is clear he only really became more interested in evangelical Christians once he realized such voters could help win him the presidency.
In 2016 he won ‘eight-in-ten self-identified white, born-again/evangelical Christians,’ according to Pew Research, and got roughly the same amount of that vote in 2020.
The website selling the Bible states that ‘GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates.’
But it does say it is licensed by CIC Ventures to use Trump’s name, likeness and image.
Trump’s 2023 financial disclosure shows he has made more than $5 million through CIC Ventures.
And his net worth exploded after his Truth Social media company started to publicly trade on the NASDAQ, but he can’t cash in on his stake in that company for months.
Meanwhile, he has yet to put up $175 million for an appeal bond that will stop the state of New York from enforcing a $454 million civil fraud judgment against him.
He’s also fighting off an order to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Additionally, the former president’s political fundraising operation has fallen behind Democratic rival Joe Biden.
Trump’s campaign and his Save America political action committee, two key committees in his political operation, reported raising a combined $15.9 million in February and ended the month with more than $37 million on hand.