The other day we were talking about how Trump has violated just about every of the Ten Commandments that Louisiana has now ordered to have posted in all of their public K-12 classrooms. But what about the Seven Deadly Sins?

First of all, unlike the Ten Commandments, the origin of the seven deadly sins is more obscure. They are not listed in the Old or New Testament in a succinct way. Instead, they are generally ascribed to the Catholic theologian Tertullian, although there are versions of these “sins” that predate Christianity. 

The concept has further evolved since the early days of the Church. Pope Gregory I revised the ideas to form a common list, which Thomas Aquinas used in his Summa Theologica. (The sins are considered “deadly” in that committing them can land the sinner in Hell for all eternity, or at least, for a long period of time.) The Seven Deadly Sins are normally listed as:

Donald Trump, I would argue, is guilty of at least six out of seven of these, if not just all seven.

Lust

Just as with the sin of adultery, there can’t be much doubt that Trump has been blatantly lustful. We already talked about his infidelities, his three wives, his trysts with Stormy Daniels and Karen MacDougal, and the 26 different women who have accused him of sexual assault. We don’t know the number of consensual sexual encounters that Trump has had, but according to Trump himself, it’s quite a large number. Of course, Trump is also a notorious liar, so he is not a “reliable reporter” of his own “conquests.” 

Enough said.

Gluttony

Donald Trump is fat. And his diet consists mostly of steak and cheeseburgers and other expensive meals. He is also gluttonous in his consumption of things other than food. Golden toilets. Conspicuous luxury items like expensive watches and jewelry. And he collects golf courses like they’re going out of style. 

Enough said.

Greed

Well, this one is a no-brainer. Donald J. Trump is obsessed with wealth. Obsessed. He has constantly overstated his wealth and compared himself to other billionaires even while he managed to plunge his businesses into bankruptcy on six different occasions. Trump and his organization have, of course, already been found civilly liable in a suit alleging that they systematically overvalued and undervalued his properties in order to borrow more than he was entitled to and (on the other hand) to avoid taxes that he should have paid. Trump had to settle for $25 million in the Trump “University” lawsuits after defrauding thousands of students. 

Enough said.

Sloth

Of all the seven deadly sins, this one might be the most difficult to define. In the Christian context, it does not mean dressing badly, which is one of the few things that Trump is not guilty of. It is not a sin of commission but a sin of omission, and might be defined as laziness and indifference. Now, it is widely known that Trump is lazy as fuck. And he was completely indifferent to the welfare of Senators, Representatives and the members of the capitol police on January 6, 2021. Plus his own Vice President. He was indifferent to the citizens of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria decimated the island, and was especially indifferent to the citizens of the United States during the Covid pandemic. 

This argument is not as cut and dried as some of the other sins, but I think Trump is guilty of this one as well. 

Enough said.

Wrath

Ketchup against the dining room wall. Trump is constantly and consistently angry, and has a legendary temper. He is rarely, if ever, calm or serene. 

Enough said.

Envy

Trump, who has so much, seems to be so envious of everyone else. He’s envious that Hillary won the popular vote. He’s envious of Obama’s crowd size at his inauguration. (Actually he seems to be envious of everything about Obama). He’s envious of any golfer who has a lower handicap than he does. He’s envious of anyone who has more money than he has. He’s envious of anyone who won an Emmy when he didn’t for “The Apprentice.” He’s envious when he should be feeling grateful. 

Enough said.

Pride

Donald Trump is so prideful that it is unbelievable. According to him, he has never made a mistake. His phone call with Zielinskyy was “perfect.” His phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensburger, was also “perfect.” He is the least racist person in the room. He is more supportive of women’s rights than Hillary Clinton. He’s done more for African Americans than any President since Abraham Lincoln. Maybe including Abraham Lincoln. He had the best show on Television. He built the greatest real estate empire in America. 

Simply put, there is no limit to Trump’s pridefulness, or his boasting.

Enough said.

Seven Heavenly Virtues

Finally, in the Christian tradition, there are also Seven Heavenly Virtues, which function as a kind of antonym to the Seven Deadly Sins. These are also not set forth in the Bible and are also subject to interpretation and evolution. As revised by Pope Gregory I, they are generally articulated as chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility.

Donald Trump, of course, has no affinity for any of these. Since they are generally the inverse of the seven deadly sins, no long discussion is necessary here. But sincerely: chastity? Temperance? Diligence, kindness, patience, humility? Can anyone (even Trump supporters) imagine applying these adjectives to Donald Trump?

Charity? This is the guy whose family literally stole from charities.

Enough said.

Long story short, Trump is just as guilty of the seven deadly sins as he is of violating the Ten Commandments. 

While Hilary Clinton is a sincere Methodist, and Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, this guy worships at the church of self-interest. But this is the guy that so-called evangelicals have decided to rally around.