In what follows a lot of scare quotes will have to be used, given the subject matter at hand.
“To say no to President Trump would be to say no to God… Wherever I go, God rules. When I walk on White House grounds, God walks on White House grounds. I have every right and authority to declare the White House holy ground, because I was standing there and where I stand is holy” (Paul White). A lot more of such utterances are found on her X page.
Indeed, a woman “converted” Donald Trump to “Christianity” and is looking after his soul. No, not his wife, Melania, but a bizarre televangelist named Paula White-Cain, or simply “Paula White,” described as being his “spiritual adviser.” Who knew that Trump even needed such an adviser, since he self-identifies as the “chosen one” and thus would hardly need any sort of guidance, given his “divine” connection. But there you have it. The man has a “spiritual adviser.” White is called the “Trump Whisperer,” because of her deep influence on him. Trump has appointed her to run his White House faith Office.
Perhaps it is fitting that she would be the face of MAGA “spirituality,” since the worship of wealth and success is now endemic to the brand. How many times have we heard the reasoning that Trump is perfect for the job of president because he knows how to make a lot of money. White kicks it up a notch by saying that having wealth and being successful is the true mark of her god’s favor. Conversely she asserts, being poor and unsuccessful is a sign of being cursed by her god.
Of course, not even the most hardened MAGA adherent will insist that Trump is deeply religious. Trump’s religious affiliation is generally categorized as Protestant, but his personal practice and connection to organized religion is best described as tenuous. He is not known to have a consistent home church and his knowledge of Christian beliefs, let alone Scripture, is noteworthy for being absent. Thus, his support among conservative evangelicals largely stems from his political actions, rather than exemplar religious devotion.
White, like her apprentice, Trump, is a thrice-married prosperity enthusiast, who propounds a “theology” of convenience, meaning that cherry-picked Bible verses are used as justifications for all manner of excess, blasphemy, and heresy. As we all know, even the Devil can expertly quote the Bible.
White and Donald Trump first connected in 2002 after Trump watched her televised sermon on the value of vision. Impressed by her message, Trump called her by telephone and told her she had the “It factor.” Their initial contact led to White meeting Trump in New York, where their relationship grew closer over the years. Trump invited her to private Bible studies and to the set of his reality show, The Apprentice, and White invited him onto her show. She also purchased a condominium in one of Trump’s New York apartment buildings, further cementing their connection. Their “relationship” developed into a close friendship and White became his “spiritual advisor” and “personal minister,” and playing a significant role in his political campaigns.
At this time, White was running a megachurch in Florida called Without Walls International Church, which she and her now ex-husband founded in 1991. This church went bankrupt, like many of Trump’s businesses, but White has since gone to bigger and better churches (City of Destiny Church and Paula White Ministries) and things (the White House Faith Office).
The many and various evangelical sects simmering away in the United States is always a study in turmoil, because for them faith is inextricable from American politics. In the minds of many such believers, America and God are one and the same.
It is from this ferment that the “teachings” of Paula White arise. But perhaps the more important question to ask is, why does Trump acknowledge her as his “spiritual teacher?” This is quite the rabbit hole to go down into.
But before heading that way, we will have to talk about another American evangelical personality, without whom Paula White, Trump and so many other “Christians” in the current administration just do not make sense—and that personality is none other than Supply-Side Jesus, that glitzy salesman who preaches the joys of supply-side economics, namely, wealth accumulation and entrepreneurship as signs of divine favor. Yes, you too can live the American Dream and be rich!
The God that Trump and White believe in is Supply-Side Jesus. Sure, he exhibits all the trappings of normal Christianity, but without visible prosperity, everything is simply meaningless. Supply-Side Jesus shows his “love” by making you rich. If you are not rich and successful, then Supply-Side Jesus does not love you. Only in America can such absurdities not only exist but wildly flourish, because what Supply-Side Jesus preaches is the prosperity gospel.
The prosperity gospel, also known as prosperity theology, the health and wealth gospel, or the Word-Faith movement, is a religious belief primarily among some charismatic evangelicals that teaches financial blessing and physical well-being are always God’s will for believers. It holds that faith, positive confession of scripture, and giving to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth and health, which are seen as evidence of divine favor and grace.
Positive confession is a doctrine often associated with the Word of Faith or prosperity gospel movement. It teaches that believers can manifest their desires into reality by speaking positive, faith-filled words. Proponents argue this is based on the idea that since God created the universe by His spoken word, believers can similarly influence their physical reality by confessing God’s promises aloud with faith. Negative confessions, such as admitting sickness or poverty, are viewed as giving Satan legal rights and blocking God’s blessings. Followers are encouraged to only speak positive affirmations and to repent if they speak negatively.
Key tenets of the prosperity gospel also include the idea that the Bible is a legal contract between God and humans: if believers have faith and act righteously, God is obligated to grant them prosperity and health. Poverty and illness are viewed as curses that can be broken by faith and positive confession. Believers are taught to “name it and claim it,” meaning they can speak their desires into reality by faith, based on their interpretation of certain Bible verses such as Malachi 3:10 and Mark 11:24.
The most important part of the prosperity gospel is faithful giving, which usually means to sending donations to televangelists. Such giving will be “rewarded” with money and good health by Supply-Side Jesus. Faith, after all, is a commercial transaction.
But to her credit, she has further refined the prosperity gospel to emphasize the idea that believers can “sow seeds” (financial donations) to receive blessings (money and good health) in return. For example, she once asked her congregation to give $1,144 as a “resurrection seed” to receive “resurrection life.” The concept of “resurrection life” is the spiritual vitality and power believers receive through Christ’s resurrection, enabling them to overcome death, sin, and adversity and live a victorious, renewed life in God’s presence—all for just $1,144. Nothing in life is free, and Supply-Side Jesus makes sure that you clearly see the price-tag for each item that he is selling.
As well, White frequently uses scripture to promise “blessings,” namely, prosperity, healing, and protection. In one instance, she cited Exodus 23 to claim that honoring God during Passover would bring seven supernatural blessings.
In case you were wondering— Paula White offers these seven supernatural blessings for a measly donation of $1,000 or more. This is what you get: (1) An angel assigned to protect you the donor; (2) “God” will instantly become the enemy of the donor’s enemies; (3) Prosperity; (4) Removal of sickness; (5) A long life; (6) Increase (everything you dream about) and inheritance (everything you want); and last but not least (7) A special year of blessing.
Plus, donors giving $1,000 or more also receive a 10-inch Waterford Crystal cross, while a $125 donation on top offers an olive wood communion set from the Holy Land.
White emphasizes the belief that giving money to her ministry will result in material compensation from God. In brief, the wealth of the rich is the mark of “God’s” blessing, while the poverty of the poor is the “mark” of “Satan.” You are blessed if you are wealthy. You are cursed if you are poor.
No wonder Trump went gaga and described her as having the “It factor.” How could the “relationship” not blossom between the two?
And in case you still have doubts, Paula White can also speak in tongues:
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Not only, she can even rap in tongues:
To ensure people see her piety, she observes Jewish feats such as Passover, fasts on Yom Kippur as part of her “spiritual discipline,” lights Shabbat candles on Friday evenings, studies with Torah with Orthodox rabbis, and wears
the Jewish prayer shawl during her onstage performances. During such performances, she Doing all this means she keeps getting “spiritual blessings,” namely, protection, prosperity, healing, and long life. Needless to say, she strongly supports Israel.
Her latest gig is that she calls herself an “apostolic leader,” within the Independent Charismatic movement and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a modern charismatic movement that imagines itself “restoring” apostolic offices like those in the early church. Her followers call her “apostle.” Her son, Bradley Knight, is now the “pastor” of City of Destiny Church in Florida.
Speaking of performance, Paula White is often noted for dressing in a very sexy and stylish manner, frequently wearing tight dresses, short black dresses, leather skirts, and high heels that highlight her legs. Her followers describe her as “classy” and “beautiful,” with outfits that emphasize a sexy and confident look.
But there is always a worm in the apple. Aside from affairs and three marriages, White is also well-known for embezzlement. She has allegedly made off with money from her various churches and even from the bank account her current husband’s rock band. She certainly has reach when it comes to money.
And there is no point in getting into all the theological absurdities that White palms off as “teaching.” However, the most telling is what she told Trump: “I don’t want your money, I have enough of my own. I don’t want your fame, I have enough of my own. I want your soul.” One can only wonder what the going rate is right now on a Trump soul. But White certainly knows how to stroke Trump’s God-complex.
Thus, when Trump and his various henchmen speak of “Christianity”—they have this woman in mind, and their idea of making America “Christian” again means ushering in the reign of Supply-Side Jesus. This is also what they mean when they identity as “Christian Nationalist.” All the prominent evangelicals are behind her. The White House has become quite the witch’s brew.
