REV. WILLIAM BARBER
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – We find ourselves in a situation where there is no pleasure in saying “I told you so” to a voter who felt the nation would be best served politically and economically by a second Trump presidency.
Two weeks after the election, Walmart and Lowe’s announced that the tariffs proposed by President-elect Donald Trump would likely lead to price increases. In a company release given to Reuters, Walmart stated, “We’re concerned that significantly increased tariffs could lead to increased costs for our customers at a time when they are still feeling the remnants of inflation.”
Other major retailers such as AutoZone, Columbia Sportswear, and Stanley Black & Decker are also sounding the alarm concerning the looming threat to consumers. In addition to grocery prices that will likely go up, electronics, toys, and clothing are also susceptible to tariff-related price increases.
Of course, none of this makes any sense because we were warned long before Election Day that this could happen. Similar warnings were made about the dangerous federal proposals that could be implemented as part of Project 2025. The proposals represent a systemic plan to undermine the quality of life for millions of Americans. While many policy recommendations are unlawful, we have no guaranteed protection from our current court system. Time will tell if the MAGA working-class voter will ever have buyer’s remorse. They cannot be naïve and believe they will be immune from the hardships of tariffs and Project 2025’s anti-family policies.
Despite Trump and his allies disavowing the Project 2025 playbook during the presidential campaign, Trump’s transition team is now using the extensive personnel database from Project 2025 to help staff the next administration with an army of loyalists. While running on an election campaign promise to put the working class first, the president-elect is setting up the wealthiest presidential administration in U.S. history, with five billionaires likely to join his administration. With cronyism involving wealthy influencers and donors existing at the top levels of the executive branch, are we moving into a 2025 version of America’s Gilded Age?
A Gilded Age political cartoon, ‘The protectors of our industries,’ showing prominent industrialists sitting on the backs of workers. Library of Congress; Bernhard Gillam, artist
The Gilded Age lasted from the late 1800s to the early 1900s and was an industrialization period characterized by combined economic growth for the wealthy and extreme poverty for the working class. It was a period controlled by “robber barons,” wealthy industrialists whose business practices were often considered ruthless, unethical, and corrupt. By having a sense of hopelessness and desperation, the Social Gospel was a Christian movement that emerged in response to the robber barons and the shameful levels of inequality seen throughout the nation.
The Social Gospel movement turned religion into a weapon for economic and political reform by applying Christian ethics to solve social problems, especially those directly related to people’s economic suffering. It integrated Christian principles with social activism. During the civil rights era, the Social Gospel concept was embraced by many ministers, who believed that the church had a moral obligation to address social injustices and actively work toward societal change. The movement’s central theme was “What would Jesus do?”
The 2024 presidential election left many with a strong sense of disappointment and uncertainty about what a vindictive Donald Trump will bring. We now know Project 2025 will become a reality in incremental steps. While there will be many “I told you so” opportunities once the pain starts to hit vulnerable individuals and families, regardless of their political party, gender, class, and age, we need to look for ways to respond and resist. America finds itself in a strange new era that is defined by the White House being occupied by a robber baron who is a convicted felon. This new era will result in the suffering of people from all walks of life. In this era, we should ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’
By mixing Christian principles with social activism, the efforts by the social justice-engaged church in this new era must come from bipartisan, multiracial, and multigenerational messengers. In addressing economic suffering, Jesus responds in scripture (Luke 4:18) to preach the gospel (good news) to the poor as a means of empowerment and encouragement. For those who feel overwhelmed and helpless in resisting and coping with the pending wave of injustice, Jesus reminds us in scripture (Luke 18:27): “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
There are those who claim to be followers of Jesus yet still find themselves aligned with White supremacy, directly or indirectly. They need to be confronted by the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 22:37 – 39, which states, “Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Social Gospel movement never ended, with leaders such as the Rev. William Barber and Sen. Raphael Warnock becoming modern-day proponents. The societal change needed now and in our future will depend on a Social Gospel movement that involves the participation of White working-class evangelicals who previously resisted social justice.
(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.)
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