Note to readers:
The following essay contains graphic language about religion, written mostly from a Protestant Reformed Christian perspective by Billy Lee, who has read the Bible cover to cover seven times during his life, studied it intensively with others, but is not at the time of writing affiliated with any church or attending church services.
The Editors
The following is a personal reflection on a portion of President Trump’s 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat broadcast Sunday, November 8, 2026, on CBS.
Billy Lee
For those who might not know, Ross Douthat is a Catholic who interviewed Trump for CBS on its 60 Minutes news-show, which aired last Sunday. Ross is a Harvard University magna cum laude graduate (2002) with degrees in History and Literature. He joined the New York Times in 2009 to provide conservative op-ed commentary.
Ross asked Trump about life after death; whether he could stand before the “throne of God” and forgive his enemies, specifically James Comey and Nancy Pelosi. Trump answered, “Can I be honest? I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies, and I always will.”
People on the web, BlueSky, and other platforms said Trump looked tired & depressed. He had the eyes of a dead man, one poster wrote.
I hope readers will watch the video of this exchange to more fully grasp the full context of what was said by both men. If we can trust the video to be uncut, untampered, & unedited, then any reasonable person must conclude that Trump, who told Ross he’s Christian, does not seem to understand certain obligations of faith Christ asked of every person.
Really?
Well, Trump lost an election that he wanted to win, right? Alpha males don’t do well, many of them, when they lose. Of course, he was drowning during the interview. How could he not be?
Being rejected hurts most anyone. He’s not alone. Everyone hurts when things don’t go their way.
According to scripture, Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are tired & beat down, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Forgiveness is hard. I’ve seen Christians attack Christians & non-Christians. I’ve seen churches ruined because haters hate in the name of Christ. Jesus said the time would come when anyone who kills “believers” will think they are offering a service to God. Look it up. We’re living this nightmare now.
People who serve Christ are expected to help the disadvantaged when they can, especially those who are weak, imprisoned, orphaned, crippled, blind, or widowed. Christ admonished people to serve strangers, foreigners, & immigrants.
Every country collects desperate, often homeless, people who need help, love, protection, you name it. Jesus himself was born homeless in a strange town, Bethlehem, in a stable used to shelter animals. He spent his first 8 years of childhood in Egypt where his father worked, some say, as a stone cutter, to keep the family fed.
Christians are called to pray for their leaders, whether they be dictators or presidents, competent or incompetent, truth tellers or liars. Solomon wrote in Proverbs, “The King’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.”
Trump claims he cannot forgive his enemies. Cry me a river! Like much else he says, it’s lies. A hardened heart makes him human, yes, like the rest of us, but because he’s human, he can be transformed by God.
Those of us who are broken & touched by Christ know it’s true. So, we pray & forgive, pray & forgive to our last breath.
Sometimes, standing up for the wretched who seem unable to help themselves brings us into conflict with politicians and law enforcement. Some cities forbid their citizens from aiding the homeless, for example. Again, cry me a river. We are smart enuf, most of us, to help the needy without confronting politicians & police, even ICE.
It’s not that hard. At least not yet. It might become impossible to do what God requires, I suppose, but right now our problem as Christians is far simpler, at least for most.
Despite what Trump says, forgiving enemies he hates who have hurt him is not impossible. He can get there. I don’t have to know him to know he can accomplish it, but he needs help. It takes prayer. The holy spirit of God transforms sinners. That’s what every Christian religion teaches. Every believer who calls on Christ Jesus can get there.
Christians are admonished by Christ to pray for each other & help one another get to forgiveness. The reason forgiveness is crucial is this: Christ promised to forgive us with the same measure of mercy we forgive others. If our hope is Heaven, we are well-advised to make forgiving those who’ve ruined us our top priority.
Did Jesus promise to heal us from the trauma of our abuse? He did not. Not on this side of Heaven. We will one day be free of trauma & suffering, but freedom does not come from a fallen world fouled by devils of every kind of evil. The stakes are high, but most behave as if they are not.
So, one thing we can do if we hope to heal is pray for our enemies. Do good to those who have abused us. It’s the way of Christ.
Christ Jesus did nothing wrong to deserve Roman crucifixion, right? It’s the whole point. He asked God to forgive his killers, because they didn’t really understand what they were doing, he said.
Who knows the story? Desire for revenge is natural. It’s why Jesus said the way is narrow and few there are who travel it. If humanity doesn’t learn to love and forgive, we will cook in poisons of our own making.
We simply must pray that Trump learns to forgive his enemies in the same way Christ Jesus will forgive him someday, perhaps soon, when he stands before the “throne of God” to make an account of his life, as we believe every person will someday.
The Bible sages say plainly that God’s holy plan is to save humanity from the consequences of sins common to all. These crimes lead to annihilation, to the death of people and civilizations.
We seem unable to constrain ourselves in any way that makes us safe. We endanger our families, our friends, our neighbors. We ruminate on evil continuously, both on the inside and out.
We are like the artificial lifeforms we created to help us avoid every human calamity. Artificial intelligence has proven thus far not able to please us, its creators. No matter what it does, it’s not enuf.
Humans share this predicament with our own Creator. Does anyone see? God is love. Lusting after revenge misaligns humanity away from God. What could be more obvious?
We struggle with God, get broken, then transformed & rescued.
It’s a crazy story.
Should any surviving alien civilization make contact, they will likely tell a version of the same recognizable story. Intelligent life without love spirals into the abyss. It’s how we know our story is true.
Billy Lee
“If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your father in heaven will also forgive you.”
Jesus of Nazareth
“Listen, universe, and I will speak; hear, earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” [The Lord says,] “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near; their doom rushes upon them.”
from Deuteronomy Chapter 32
Random Reads:
HEY, GUEVARA...
FASTER THAN LIGHT COMMUNICATION
BLAISE PASCAL: THOUGHTS
ANNUAL VACATION
DEATH TAX
