The Persecution-Industrial Complex

DARVO is the core of MAGA and Christian Nationalism

Rank-and-file MAGA cult members are driven by fear of loss of control over society. Their leaders leverage that fear to achieve unchecked power.

Peel back the pretense of aggrievement and the MAGA-Christian Nationalist hive symbols, and at the core you will find fear, and deep insecurity. Once you see it—it can’t be unseen. I’m going to explain how this works in detail, because it’s key to understanding why it’s so difficult to—for lack of a better word—deprogram members of the MAGA cult.

Let’s begin with what some might see as a relatively minor part of the unfolding crisis of the second Trump administration: The February 6, 2025 executive order to “Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.” There’s no better example of DARVO in recent memory, which means Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. Well, except perhaps the fulminating about DEI. Or the attacks on trans women in college and professional sports (there are a few dozen in the entire US).

The Executive Order

The text of the executive order repeats at least seven bald-faced lies about the Biden Administration’s claimed “anti-Christian bias.” Fortunately these lies reveal what the order is actually about: Institutionalizing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people:

• Targeting of Peaceful Christians:
  The order claims that the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) engaged in politically motivated prosecutions against peaceful pro-life Christians, including a Catholic priest and elderly individuals, for praying outside abortion facilities.
  Fact Check: The prosecutions were related to violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits obstructing access to reproductive health services. These cases involved blocking clinics, not merely praying.

• Ignoring Violence Against Catholic Churches and Pro-Life Centers:
  The order alleges that the Biden DOJ ignored over 100 attacks on Catholic churches and pro-life centers.
  Fact Check: The DOJ under Biden prosecuted several cases of vandalism and violence against religious institutions, including Catholic churches.

• FBI Infiltration of Catholic Churches:
  The order references an FBI memo labeling "radical-traditionalist" Catholics as domestic terrorism threats and suggesting church infiltration.
  Fact Check: A leaked memo from an FBI field office did mention monitoring certain extremist groups with Catholic affiliations, but it was retracted and condemned by the FBI leadership for overreach.

• Repeal of Religious-Liberty Protections in Education:
  The order claims the Biden Department of Education sought to repeal religious protections for faith-based groups on campuses.
  Fact Check: The Biden administration proposed reviewing Trump-era rules that critics argued gave religious groups broad exemptions to anti-discrimination policies, but no outright repeal of religious protections occurred.

• Forcing Christians to Affirm Transgender Ideology:
  The order accuses the Biden Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of forcing Christians to affirm transgender identities.
  Fact Check: The EEOC enforced anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people under Title VII, following the Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court ruling, but this applied broadly and was not targeted at Christians specifically.

• Driving Christians Out of Foster Care:
  The order claims the Biden Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sought to exclude Christians from foster care who disagreed with LGBTQ+ inclusion.
  Fact Check: The HHS enforced non-discrimination policies to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals and couples were not denied foster care opportunities, but religious organizations were still able to participate if they complied with federal standards.

• Declaring Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility”:
  The order criticizes the Biden administration for declaring March 31, 2024—Easter Sunday—as Transgender Day of Visibility.
  Fact Check: Transgender Day of Visibility has been observed on March 31 since 2009, and the coincidence with Easter in 2024 was a calendar overlap, not an intentional slight against Christians.

Anti-LGBTQ+ Targeting:

• Repealing Protections for LGBTQ+ People in Employment and Education:
  The order criticizes efforts by the Biden EEOC and Department of Education to enforce protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, signaling an intent to reverse these policies under the guise of protecting religious freedom.

• Opposing LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Foster Care:
  The order frames protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in foster care as discriminatory against Christians, suggesting an effort to allow religious foster agencies to deny services to LGBTQ+ families or children.

• Framing LGBTQ+ Rights as “Radical Ideology”:
  The use of language like "radical transgender ideology" reflects an intent to undermine LGBTQ+ rights by presenting them as contrary to Christian beliefs, legitimizing discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals under religious exemptions.

“Anti-Christian Bias”

Let’s talk about the absurdity of “anti-Christian bias”—in general. In many categories, Christians are a supermajority, with Christian perspectives broadly influencing the outcome of elections and public policy:

• 63% of U.S. adults identify as Christians (Pew Research Center, 2021)

• 73% of Americans believe in the historical existence of Jesus (Barna Group, 2015)

• 22% of U.S. adults attend Christian churches regularly (Pew Research Center, 2021)

• 25-30% of Americans believe the Bible is the authentic word of God (Gallup Poll, 2022)

• 10% of U.S. children attend private religious schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019)

• 3-4% of U.S. children are homeschooled, many using Christian curricula (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019)

• 88% of members of Congress identify as Christian (Pew Research Center, 2023)

• 97.8% of U.S. Presidents (45 out of 46) have identified as Christian (Pew Research Center, 2021)

• 92% of U.S. military chaplains are Christian (Army.mil)

An overwhelming majority of gravestones at Arlington National Cemetary have Christian crosses. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Christian churches universally recieve tax-exemptions. U.S. law has upheld Christian privilege in several key cases. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014), the Supreme Court allowed a Christian-owned corporation to deny contraceptive coverage based on religious beliefs. Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado (2018) upheld a Christian baker's right to refuse service to a same-sex couple due to his faith, while Trinity Lutheran v. Comer (2017) allowed a church to receive public funds for playground resurfacing. In Groff v. DeJoy (2023), the Court ruled in favor of a Christian postal worker who refused Sunday shifts, broadening religious accommodations in the workplace.

Additionally, some states allow religious adoption agencies to deny services to LGBTQ couples, citing religious freedom, and religious exemptions in employment law often privilege Christian beliefs over secular or non-Christian perspectives. Highway accident markers are crosses, no matter the religion of the person who died there. Court-ordered drug and alcohol treatment often involves explicitly Christian programs. “In God We Trust” is on our national currency, which refers specifically to the Christian God.

Non-believers (and LGBTQ+) are the true persecuted minority:

• 28% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated ("nones"), including atheists, agnostics, and those with no particular religion. (Pew Research Center, 2024)

• 4% of U.S. adults self-identify as atheists. (Pew Research Center, 2021)

• 5% of U.S. adults identify as agnostic. (Pew Research Center, 2021)

• 0% of U.S. military chaplains are atheists or humanists, with no officially recognized non-religious chaplains. (CGSC Foundation, 2014)

• Less than 1% of Congress identifies as religiously unaffiliated, despite 28% of the population being "nones." (Pew Research Center, 2023)

• 0% of U.S. Presidents have openly identified as atheist; all have publicly associated with a religious denomination, mostly Christian. (Pew Research Center, 2021)

An overwhelming number of public meetings (and Congress itself) open with Christian prayers. Children say the pledge of allegiance in all public schools, even though it specifically references “one nation under God”—the Christian God. Some states have tried and failed to require the posting of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Christians are also working non-stop to restore Christian prayer and Bible teachings in America’s public schools.

There’s no safe space for non-believers who want to avoid religious messaging, and precious little legal protection. Gay and trans people are overwhemingly the targets of persecution by Christians. In large sections of America, people can also be legally discriminated against for being unchurched.

So why do American Christians feel so persecuted?

Let’s tie this all together. Most people think that religion is primarily about belief. But Jonathan Haidt notes that throughout human history, it’s actually been about producing an ordered society. Simply put: American Christians believe they should be the ones deciding how American society is ordered. They frame anything that stands in their way as persecution.

Since 1975, they’ve adopted a view that politics is downstream of culture, reflected in the Seven Mountain Mandate in which they state their goal to control family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government. This is the dark core of Christian Nationalism, which includes promoting the view that “America is a Christian Nation.” They’ve made tremendous inroads. It’s now religious pluralism and secularism that are actually under threat from MAGA politicians including Trump.

This creates a bundle of absurdities, demonstrating that claims of “persecution” are transparent disguises for undemocratic power grabs:

• Christians increasingly don’t believe in democratic elections. Many actively support voter-suppression efforts, which are now a central part of MAGA orthodoxy.

• Christians increasingly believe that the existence of atheists and LGBTQ+ people is itself a form of persecution. This involves the literal belief that atheists, gay and trans people being allowed to have equal access to jobs, housing and health care—and generally being treated as human—is a threat to Christianity.

• Christians increasingly believe that secular science education is persecution.

• Christians increasingly believe that harassing, prosecuting, and targeting women who want to access reproductive healthcare is their God-given right.

Perceptions of “persecution” enforce in-group loyalty

These aren’t just power grabs. Consider the impact on devout believers. When missionaries go door-to-door to proselytize, they often face rejection. Instead of respecting the free choice of their targets not to believe, they often take the rejection personally. Then they return to their community of believers and commiserate about how the “world is against them.” This reaffirms that they are indeed in their right place, where they are accepted and loved and no one will challenge their beliefs.

Trump is already guilty of actual anti-Christian bias

In January 2025, during the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a sermon urging President Donald Trump to "have mercy" on marginalized groups, including immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. In response, President Trump demanded an apology from Bishop Budde, labeling her a "so-called Bishop" and accusing her of being a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater."

Concurrently, the Trump administration revoked policies that previously designated places of worship as sensitive locations, thereby permitting immigration enforcement actions within churches. This policy shift directly targeted congregations offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants—by exposing them to potential raids and arrests. Faith leaders expressed concern that this move would infringe upon religious practices of providing shelter to those in need.

It’s plain that Trump’s not interested in protecting Christianity—he’s hijacking it. By driving a wedge between compassionate, empathetic Christians who preach mercy and the hardline Christian Nationalists in his base, he’s turning faith into a political weapon. He’s pulling the classic “No True Christian” fallacy, deciding who counts as a “real” Christian and who doesn’t. That’s not just political posturing; it’s a full-blown violation of both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

The Establishment Clause is supposed to keep the government from playing favorites with religion, but Trump’s doing exactly that—elevating Christian Nationalism as the government-approved version of faith. At the same time, he’s stomping on the Free Exercise Clause by undermining Christians who don’t fall in line. When he attacks leaders like Bishop Budde for preaching basic decency or targets sanctuary churches for helping immigrants, he’s sending a clear message: your religious freedom only counts if you obey. Trump’s not defending religious freedom. He’s gutting it.