“Happy good week! Let’s make America pray again. Good Friday and Easter are coming up, and I encourage you to pick up a copy of the God Bless the USABible,” Trump stated on his social network Truth Social on Tuesday. “All Americans should have a Bible at home, I have a lot. It’s my favorite book”
The Bible was named after the patriotic song by country singer Lee Greenwood, which Trump always accompanies when he takes the stage during the campaign. For $59.99 you get the book, in addition to a copy of a “handwritten chorus” of it God bless the USAalso copies of the Bill of Rights (containing the first ten amendments to the Constitution), the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance (a pledge of allegiance to the American flag).
According to the website of the God Bless the USABible, it is “not political and has nothing to do with a political campaign.” “GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not owned or controlled by Donald J. Trump,” it added. But the website does acknowledge “using the name and likeness of Donald J. Trump under a paid license from CIC Ventures LLC,” a company owned by the ex-president. It is unclear how much Trump earns from that license or from book sales.
It is not the first time that Trump has linked his name to absurd products. Last month he launched the Never Surrender High-Tops, gold sneakers with a price tag of $399. Trump fans can also buy the Victory47 perfume for $99 and get the same bouquet as the man who wants to become the 47th president of the United States in the elections at the end of this year.
Bad experiences with the Bible
Trump’s campaign for those presidential elections is urgently looking for additional resources, partly because the ex-president is skimming money to pay the costs of the various lawsuits against him. In that context, Trump received ‘good’ news on Monday: to appeal against a fraud conviction, Trump must pay not 454 but 175 million dollars (about 162 million euros) in bail.
Finally, the holy book does not seem to be a good talisman for the ex-president. In 2015, he refused to name his favorite Bible verse in an interview because it was “too personal.” “The Bible is important to me, but I don’t want to go into details.” A year later, Trump was in trouble when he talked about the Bible book on the campaign trail Two Corinthians had instead of the usual Second Corinthians. As president, during the protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020, Trump had demonstrators roughly removed so he could pose with a Bible in front of St. John’s Church in Washington. That action was even condemned by the “indignant” bishop of that church.
Trump with his favorite book, here in front of St. John’s Church in Washington DC after the riots surrounding the death of George Floyd in 2020. — © afp.
