That’s what Trump does. He divides, then conquers. Just look at his own cabinet. He has put J.D. Vance in charge of the Iran negotiations. Typically, that would be the function of the Secretary of State, in this case, Marco Rubio. Trump also has pondered how Vance compares to Rubio.
Instead of building a cohesive team to work toward the betterment of the country, he is turning two of his top advisors, who happen to also be considered the next Republican presidential nominees, into rivals.
But this is Trump’s superpower – division. This is how he keeps everyone off balance, everyone at each other’s throats, clamoring to be his favorite.
Dog-eat-dog has been a political game probably for eternity but this kind of dog-eat-dog isn’t typical politics. It’s Trump politics.
Of course, neither of these two will turn on Trump. Given their opinion of Trump when running against him for president, it would seem they have sold their souls to the devil. Once you do that, it is pretty hard, if not impossible, to come back.
As I have written before, a whole lot of ardent Trump supporters have turned on him. It is really astonishing to see what it has taken for them to make that turn – lost jobs, lost benefits like heath care and food assistance, deported loved ones, business killing tariffs, another war, crushingly high gas prices.
And now, of all things, a feud with the Pope. I mean, who picks a fight with the Pope??
You’d think Catholics would be twisted in a knot by Trump’s admonishment of the Pope. And many are. Then again, many aren’t. There is still a huge faction that make pitiful excuses for supporting Trump over the Pope.
J.D. Vance (though keep in mind the state of his soul) has basically told the Pope to stay in his lane. Think of all the ways politics has crossed over to religion. Bible readings. Depictions of Trump as Jesus. It isn’t the Pope who is out of his lane.
Still, this whole Catholic/divine thing really bothers me. I am Catholic, probably not in the greatest standing with the church due to lack of church attendance, but I am Catholic, lifelong. That doesn’t mean, though, I am not a good Christian which is the basis of Catholicism. But, I digress.
Anyway, let’s go back to Catholicism and the Pope.
I am not a theologian. Even so, I know enough to know the Pope is our supreme earthly leader. Digging a little deeper, popes follow in the line of successors to St. Peter who was, in essence, named by Jesus as the first Pope of the church. Jesus gave “Peter divine power to fulfill his mission.”
So, why is there any question as to who is the leader of Catholics in terms of religion?
The fact that there is a question goes back to divide and conquer.
In Trump’s one-sided argument with Pope Leo XIV, think of what he said about Pope Leo’s brother: “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” Trump wasn’t content to pick a fight with the Pope. He had to bring his brother into it.
On the surface, it may seem simply petty. I think there is more to it. Why not turn brother against brother? How better to put the Pope in a weaker position, right? Divide and conquer.
And, dear Catholics, that is what he is doing to you. Making you choose between him and the Pope. And you are hungry fish taking the bait. Divide and conquer.