In recent years, it has been increasingly normalized to be labeled as a “conservative.” However, with that normalization came a change in the definition of the term itself. “Conservative” many years ago would mean preserving the family, promoting religious values and maintaining a worldview immersed in neighborly attitudes. To the contrary, “conservative” political leaders today hold a lot of wealth, promote capitalistic imbalances between the rich and poor and often don’t have traditional-looking family units or religious practices. This article will explore how one view of traditionalism became another through polarized politics.
Firstly, it’s important to note that conservatism’s rebranding came long after the rebranding of Democrats. It’s arguable that the Democrats rebranded largely over the COVID-19 pandemic, between Black Lives Matter (BLM) and other movements, which led them to become more radicalized for progress. However, the conservative rebranding that came years later, in 2024, redefined modern politics even further. While conservatives of the past, such as former President Ronald Reagan, were refined and structured, when former President Donald Trump ran for a second term in 2024, that was not the case. The Make America Great Again movement sought political power for conservative adults and their families, but it especially empowered Trump to become a grand public figure.
Trump began selling merchandise, and people’s conservative and traditional values were sold away from them to this movement, with the promise of greater economic stability and restoration of the old lifestyle dynamics. Ultimately, Trump quickly gained millions of devout followers to his political fan base, but it often led those individuals to do things contrary to their religious foundation to promote MAGA.
The main issue with the MAGA movement and its reshaping of conservatism, however, is that it holds onto the guise of being a Christian movement while not fulfilling Christian values. Mainly, the ascetic value of Christianity, which involves fasting, self-denial, and the overcoming of worldly pleasures, is completely contrary to MAGA, which holds expensive events and flaunts the political leaders’ financial power. For a Christian practicing asceticism, being a political figure would more accurately mean practicing charity, offering and living a simple life while in office. Additionally, MAGA being represented as a moral Christian example leaves harm done when we consider how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has abused constitutional rights for citizens and non-citizens alike. Lastly, Trump has frequently supported billionaires such as Elon Musk throughout his career, and MAGA thrives on funding from the wealthy, who may be somewhat out of touch with the rest of American society.
Consequently, the movement has taken traditionalism and stripped it of its charitable traits to promote a 1950s nuclear family without the full enrichment of religion and family economics. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between political conservatism and the preservation of Christian history and values. Overall, one seeks power, while the other seeks humility and community efforts. We should all seek to make sure we, as a society, can identify when politicians take advantage of our morals.
