There are a bunch of reasons so many white evangelicals love Donald Trump — he gives them the lip service they crave, he plays into their persecution complex, he has no problem nominating unqualified right-wing judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench, he embraces his ignorance, he assumes everyone is out to get him even when he’s the persecutor, and he avoids responsibility despite being the main problem.

He is one of them — and Jesus has nothing to do with it.

But Eastern Illinois University Professor Ryan P. Burge can now add another item to the list. In fact, it’s arguably a major factor in why white evangelicals embrace Trump no matter what.

Simply put: They hate immigrants as much as he does.

Burge took data from the 2018 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) and figured out where three groups stood on various immigration questions: white evangelicals, the second most conservative religious group, and the country at large.

What he found was that white evangelicals weren’t just conservative on questions involving immigration. They were radically conservative. Just look at the red circles:

… The gap between white evangelicals and the average American is humongous. In fact, on four of the five issue areas the total distance between the two groups is at least twenty percentage points. And, when compared to the next most conservative religious groups, there’s still a decent amount of daylight. For three issues, it’s at least ten percentage points, but it’s never less than five points (on the issue of DACA).

More than 60% of white evangelicals want to eliminate family-based migration — keeping families separate, that is, even when one member becomes a U.S. citizen. Fewer than 60% support DACA compared to nearly 75% of all Americans. And nearly 75% of white evangelicals would prefer to withhold money from any police department serving as a sanctuary for refugees.

When it comes to abortion, white evangelicals are also extremely conservative… but so are other conservatives. It’s immigration where white evangelicals outpace even other conservatives in their cruelty.

No wonder they love Trump. He’s the embodiment of the hate they have for perceived outsiders, but he’s “honest” enough to say it out loud. They just prefer to cloak themselves in messages of love in the hopes that they can win converts. But on the issue itself, both Trump and white evangelicals are peas in a pod.

We’d be better off with both groups out of power.

(Featured image via Shutterstock)

