Inside the Beltway: President Trump and the ‘God factor’

NEWS AND OPINION:

The Rev. Franklin Graham has once again stepped up to support President Trump, fault the news media for hostile coverage and ask the nation to pray for the 45th president.

“President Trump has to make very tough decisions — I wouldn’t want his job for anything. His decisions impact the lives of people abroad and here at home. It is so important that we continue to faithfully lift him and his administration up in prayer,” the evangelist and son of the late Billy Graham said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“I’m tired of all the fighting in Washington. You can’t turn on the news or read the headlines online without being overwhelmed by all of the political squabbling, to put it mildly. The news media are so vicious and relentless in their fault finding and their attacks on the President. It’s just sickening. We have the potential for so much good and so much progress for our nation, but Washington is squandering it away over political agendas. I’m thankful that I have put my faith and trust in God who never grows weary and is never shut down, no matter what the problems are,” the pastor wrote.

In a follow-up Facebook post on Thursday, Mr. Graham praised Mr. Trump for his surprise visit with U.S. troops in Iraq.

“The last few days, the media has enjoyed criticizing him for staying ’home alone’ at the White House. Well, surprise, surprise — he and First Lady Melania Trump went to Iraq. Yes, the president was in Washington working while most other politicians had gone home for the Christmas holidays. The media didn’t want to acknowledge anything positive. They’re just out for another negative Trump headline,” Mr. Graham noted.

There is some extraordinary support in some sectors, however. A recent GoFundMe effort to raise money for “The Trump Wall” has accrued $17.6 million from private donors in 10 days. But there’s also a powerful “God factor” at work, Mr. Graham has said.

Mr. Graham previously asked Americans to pray for Mr. Trump during the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and again during the midterm elections. But the pastor’s call was particularly intense on the eve of the 2016 presidential election  — asking for the faithful to think, pray, then vote.

“We need a Christian revolution in America. Let’s support men and women at every level of government — local, state, and national — who will lead this country back to really being one nation under God, so that we can truthfully say, once again, In God we trust,” Mr. Graham said at the time.

He offered a clear comment following Mr. Trump’s victory.

“Did God show up? In watching the news after the election, the secular media keep asking how did this happen? What went wrong? How did we miss this? Some are in shock. Political pundits are stunned. Many thought the Trump/Pence ticket didn’t have a chance. None of them understand the God-factor,” said Mr. Graham in the immediate aftermath

WHEN CHURCHILL WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE

Seventy seven years ago, Winston Churchill arrived at the White House before Christmas, then stayed well into January. He was a guest for Christmas dinner, and the host was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The British prime minister had arrived at the White House on Dec. 22, 1941, to discuss Allied strategy, and Churchill’s sudden presence was an event which sparked banner headlines around the world according to the White House Historical Association.

The holiday meal was well observed, though, and chronicled by The Associated Press. Things got underway with oysters on the half shell and crisp crackers, followed by clear broth with sherry and thin toast. The main course was roast turkey with chestnut and sausage dressing, giblet gravy, beans, cauliflower, casserole of sweet potatoes, cranberry jelly, rolls, grapefruit salad and cheese crescents. Dessert was plum pudding and hard sauce, ice cream and cake, coffee, plus salted nuts and “assorted bonbons.”

Then it was all business.

“Churchill stayed at the White House for the next three weeks, taking up residence in the Blue Room. The American newspapers couldn’t help but comment on the irony of the prime minister residing in the mansion that British troops burned during the War of 1812. The close quarters helped Churchill and Roosevelt cement their friendship. They started talking in the morning and didn’t stop until lights out, turning over ideas and weighing options. Both possessed lively minds that thrived on information,” noted a historic account by Meredith Hindley, for the National Endowment of the Humanities.

“The prime minister, of course, didn’t travel to Washington alone. The rest of his retinue — 86 members strong, ranging from Adm. Sir Dudley Pound and Gen. Sir John Dill to stenographers, valets, detectives, private secretaries, and a code clerk — were lodged elsewhere.”

President and Prime Minister were together for 113 days from 1941 and 1945. Curious? A good read on this historical meeting and related events should consider “Churchill: Walking with Destiny” by historian Andrew Roberts, published in October by Viking Books.

A PRESIDENTIAL NOG

Yes, the first president of the United States was fond of eggnog according to historic accounts. President George Washington, in fact, left behind his own recipe, and here it is, courtesy of the Old Farmer’s Almanac — founded in 1792, and found at Almanac.com.

“Here is a recipe for Christmas Eggnog from our first president, in the exact words as they were written by Washington himself. This was one of Washington’s favorite concoctions for celebrating Christmas at Mount Vernon. (Get ready. It will knock your socks off!),” the almanac states:

“One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, one half pint rye whiskey, one half pint Jamaica rum, one quarter pint sherry — mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently,” the president wrote.

For those who may wonder, The Old Farmer’s Almanac also advises that Dec. 29 and 30 are both ideal days to get a haircut. New Year’s Eve, the sages say, is a good time to can, pickle or make sauerkraut.

In the first month of the new year, the almanac says that Jan. 2-3 is a good day to go camping while Jan. 4. is a good to end a project and Jan. 7 is a good to start a new one. The best fishing days in January are from the 5th to the 21st.

THOSE OLD TOYS

If your plans include cleaning out the closets in the new year, don’t be too eager. Good Housekeeping has published a guide called “The 30 Most Valuable Toys From Your Childhood,” advising readers, “Man, we wish we’d held on to so many things.”

On the list: Garbage Pail Kids Cards, original Hot Wheels, first editions of “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Jem and the Holograms dolls, original Transformers, original Game Boys, and the American Girls “Molly” doll.

See the low-down at Goodhousekeeping.com.

POLL DU JOUR

• 89 percent of Americans believed in Santa Claus when they were a child; 94 percent of Republicans, 88 percent of independents and 87 percent of Democrats agree.

• 84 percent say Santa Claus will rate them as “nice” this year; 85 percent of Republicans, 81 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats agree.

• 83 percent overall celebrate Christmas; 91 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of independents and 84 percent of Democrats agree.

• 59 percent overall believe that Santa is a Democrat; 21 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 96 percent of Democrats agree.

• 41 percent overall believe that Santa is a Republican; 79 percent of Republicans, 47 percent of independents and 4 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Dec. 16-18.

• Happy New Year and thank you for reading Inside the Beltway.