Trump Invokes St. Michael the Archangel—and the Secular Left Howls

It’s inevitable that the pagans of our secular culture become wilder as the culture worsens. As our former culture of Christendom recedes further into the distant past, the theologically ignorant show their ignorance in increasingly alarming ways. Those miseducated by our government schools and lousy universities boldly step forth to loudly illustrate their shocking ignorance of things religious.

The examples of this, of course, abound. Recall the MSNBC Politico pundit who railed against those “Christian nationalists” who have the temerity to believe their unalienable rights come from God rather than government. Her stunning statement prompted a rebuke from the mild-mannered, eminently charitable Bishop Robert Barron, who called it a “disturbing, dangerous” assessment.

But why waste time offering examples? There are just so many.That said, we were treated to another profoundly disturbing example last weekend when one Donald J. Trump was pilloried for having the audacity to invoke the prayer of St. Michael the Archangel. On multiple platforms, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, Trump posted the very common prayer in the Catholic Church:

Coincidentally, as Trump was invoking St. Michael, so was I. It was Sunday, September 29, 2024, the official feast day of the archangels in the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar. One of my sons was born that day in 2007. We were having a birthday dinner for him. I said grace and also prayed for the protection of the three archangels—Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They’re as old as the Old Testament. We find them in the Jewish and Christian traditions. Scripture tells us that we have guardian angels, and we’re called to seek them out. (Among others, see Psalm 91: “The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.”)

Like many of you reading this article, I personally recite the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer daily. I sometimes invoke the prayer multiple times in a day, especially when I feel uneasy or feel the need for some sort of divine protection, calling upon not only the Almighty or various saintly intercessors but the legions of angels. Each day, I say a Rosary, which I close by tacking on the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer at the end. Many of us Catholics do that.

In fact, the secularists need to know that many Catholics, together in unison at the end of each Mass (and yes, we have daily Mass in addition to Sunday Mass), say the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer at the close. It’s a prayer that was composed by Pope Leo XIII (beloved by all Catholics, including liberal ones who revere his encyclical Rerum Novarum). About a century ago, nearly every parish closed Mass with the prayer, until the “spirit” of Vatican II seemed to have altered if not almost eliminated the practice. But now, in more recent years, no doubt as our secular culture has become more depraved and downright evil, many parishes have brought back the prayer.

With all of that said, or calmly explained to the secular-minded, the fact that Donald Trump, a non-Catholic, would invoke the prayer is quite striking. It’s certainly striking to us Catholics, too.

Of course, one hardly need be Catholic to invoke the prayer. Catholics would dub it a prayer for all Christians, for all religious believers, and, really, for anyone seeking protecting from the devil and the dark forces of this world. Trump’s wife, Melania, is Catholic. She prays the Rosary. She held a rosary at their marriage ceremony.

Given the hell that Donald Trump has been put through recently, including assassination attempts—one of which came mere inches from blowing his brains out—it should come as no surprise that he would be seeking out the protection of the great archangel. It makes perfect sense. And in truth, it is very refreshing to see. It shows that even Donald Trump, perceived by many as a self-absorbed narcissist who looks only to himself, would humbly submit himself in a desperate plea for divine protection. It’s further evidence—truly heightened evidence—of the sincerity of his many statements since the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting on July 13, 2024, about how he’s convinced that God spared his life. Given the hell that Donald Trump has been put through recently, including assassination attempts, it should come as no surprise that he would be seeking out the protection of the great archangel.Tweet This

So, to the reasonable, measured person, it makes sense—and ought to be pleasing and even inspiring—that Donald Trump would have paused to post an appeal to St. Michael the Archangel.

But unfortunately, our secular age is not an age of the reasonable, measured person. Our secular mavens are arrogantly ignorant when it comes to things theological. And thus, when Trump invoked the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, it was as if he flipped the lid off social-media hell. Screaming could be heard from the darkest recesses of the web. A friend emailed me to say, “Trump just broke Twitter by posting the St. Michael prayer.” 

Indeed. The Trump post quickly went viral. The post at X alone has over 30 million views.

My friend sent the reaction of Clinton official and former Harvard professor Robert Reich, who inveighed: “Trump increasingly suggests that he is God’s chosen instrument of wrath and that his opponents are ‘evil spirits’ to be ‘cast into hell.’ If you don’t find this terrifying, you’re not paying attention.”

Correction, Reich. If you find this terrifying, then you know nothing about Catholicism or Christianity. Then again, being a product of our age, I’d expect no less. Chesterton said that becoming a Catholic “is the only thing that saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age.” 

Reich’s reaction was bland compared to the wailing and gnashing of teeth and foaming at the mouth all over social media prompted by The Donald invoking the Heavenly Prince. They fulminated in fiery rage as Trump hoped that Satan and all the evil spirits prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls would be cast into Hell where they belong. That had them fuming.

In fact, judging from their howls, you would have thought the prayer was a call for protection against, well, them. Hmm.