David French endorses Kamala Harris, blasts 'MAGA Christians'
French accuses Trump supporters of 'viciousness and intolerance'
Political commentator and columnist David French penned an op-ed in The New York Times on Sunday endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and presenting the case for why he believes other so-called conservatives should support her to "save conservatism."
French, who claims his beat includes "a particular focus on the health of the evangelical church," also said that former President Donald Trump is "changing the church" and effectively infusing it with his alleged "cruelty."
While acknowledging that he is pro-life and supported the landmark 2022 U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision that returned abortion law to the states, French also explained that he is unable to throw his support behind Trump because he believes Trump's "MAGA movement" has caused the Republican Party to drift from "Reaganite conservatism."
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"But I’m going to vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 and — ironically enough — I’m doing it in part to try to save conservatism," he wrote.
French also claimed that Trump is an unacceptable candidate because of his alleged lying.
"Let’s take an assertion that should be uncontroversial, especially to a party that often envisions itself as a home for people of faith: Lying is wrong," he wrote. "I’m not naïve; I know that politicians have had poor reputations for honesty since Athens. But I have never seen a human being lie with the intensity and sheer volume of Donald Trump."
French's issues with Trump's alleged "contagious" lies stem from his claims about the 2020 presidential election, citing lawsuits against Fox News, Rudolph Giuliani and Salem Media Group.
While he condemned the political violence from the Left that threatened the lives of Trump, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice in 2017, French alleged that the GOP has nominated a candidate who is personally responsible for engendering political violence.
French pinpointed Trump's use at his rallies of songs sung by prisoners still in jail for the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as evidence that he supports "violent insurrectionists." He described the version of the national anthem sung by prisoners in the so-called "J6 Prison Choir" as a "bastardized version."
French also condemned various speakers at last month's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by listing their sins and suggesting that Christians should not support a political party that allows such individuals to speak.
"It becomes even stranger to claim that Christians can’t vote for Democrats when the prime-time lineup at the Republican convention featured an OnlyFans star, a man who publicly slapped his wife, a man who pleaded no contest to an assault charge, and another man who had sex with his friend’s wife while the friend watched — and that’s not even including any reference to Trump himself," he wrote.
French went on to accuse Trump and his Evangelical supporters — whom he dubbed "MAGA Christians" — of infecting the American church with "viciousness and intolerance."
"It’s not just Trump’s lies that are contagious, but his cruelty as well, and that cruelty is embedding itself deeply within one of Trump’s most loyal constituencies, conservative evangelicals," he wrote.
"It is difficult to overstate the viciousness and intolerance of MAGA Christians against their political foes. There are many churches and Christian leaders who are now more culturally Trumpian than culturally Christian. Trump is changing the church."
French also suggested that a Harris administration would present a strong stance against Russia and offer Americans the chance to emerge from a Republican Party that has been destroyed.
"If Harris wins, the West will still stand against Vladimir Putin, and conservative Americans will have a chance to build something decent from the ruins of a party that was once a force for genuine good in American life," he said.
French recently featured in Rob Reiner's documentary film "God & Country," which alleged "Christian nationalists" in America are a rising force who aim to roll back the rights of women, gay people and those who support abortion. The movie likened American Christians who support Trump to German Christians who allegedly enabled the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
