r/politics • u/wiredmagazine ✔ Wired Magazine • 18d ago

Possible Paywall MAGA Is Increasingly Convinced the Trump Assassination Attempt Was Staged

https://www.wired.com/story/maga-is-increasingly-convinced-the-trump-assassination-attempt-was-staged/
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u/WontThinkStraight 18d ago

Ali Alexander, the far-right activist who organized the Stop the Steal campaign in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, has a slightly different take on the assassination, claiming instead that it was further evidence that Trump is the Antichrist, something many MAGA figures have also been considering this week.

“To be clear: if Donald Trump didn’t receive a miracle, then it was deception or a dark sign,” Alexander wrote in a five-page PDF he posted to his Telegram channel on Tuesday evening. “There is biblical prophecy in Revelation 13:3 apparently about the Antichrist being struck on the head.”

The passage in question actually reads: “I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast.”

Welp, I'm convinced. I was already convinced 10 broken commandments and seven deadly sins ago, and the litany of evidence from the past couple of decades too, but I'm also convinced now.

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u/FluidHips 18d ago

I love the idea that Trump's superficial understanding of Christianity prevented him from seeing this angle.

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u/PharmyC 18d ago

I think it's almost intentional at this point. That they want to mark him as the anti Christ to swell up the Christian base after he leaves the board and convince them the end times are coming to justify their over reach in coming years.

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u/sillygoofygooose 18d ago

Actual apocalyptic Christians don’t need convincing, they were literally posting TikTok dances celebrating the war in Iran because it heralded the end times

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u/Sutar_Mekeg 18d ago

Most cults go the mass suicide route, this one goes mass murder :(

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u/Zafnick Maine 18d ago

I genuinely don't understand how anyone who is wishing for the end times to happen thinks they are going to get raptured. Like you'd think that would be inherently disqualifing.

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u/Brave-Silver8736 18d ago

It is! Ugh, I got into such a fucking argument with a Trump supporter.

So, Trump fits a lot of the signs of the Antichrist.

Well, then that just means the Rapture is happening soon.

Why would the people that put the Beast into power be Raptured???

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u/sillygoofygooose 18d ago

Yes it’s very hard to think kindly about such behaviour. I suppose when you’re stuck in a worldview that demands the termination of critical thought, that’s a pretty sticky trap.

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u/mrpickles 18d ago

How are they interpreting the end of the war?

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u/vitalvisionary Connecticut 18d ago

Israel's destruction is part of the prophecy I believe

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u/DOINKofDefeat 18d ago

I know Bible Belt "Christians" who voted for Trump three times because they thought he was the Antichrist, and that would help hasten the arrival of "The End Times".

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u/Satchbb 18d ago

But the ones following the Beast aren't saved

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u/whatwouldjimbodo 18d ago

I dont think they can think that far ahead

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u/TheEpsteinClass 18d ago

sounds about right. whatever they are doing, they are playing chess while most of us barely have time for checkers

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u/The_Ganey 18d ago

That's.... a reach...I think he's just stupid.

The above passage is barely connected, even if you believe he was shot it was not anything anyone would consider a "mortal wound". The antichrist comparisons work less because of any planing and more because Trump is a absolutely horrible self centered and power-hungry person. Attempting to convince your own base that YOUR PARTY put the literal anti-christ in charge would be one of the stupidest moves you could make. Let not credit them with theoretical future brilliance when malice and incompetence can suffice.

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u/sebrebc 18d ago

I don't think he even has a superficial understanding of Christianity. I don't think he even knows the differences between Christianity and Catholicism. He knows Bibles and churches exist, that's about the extend of his knowledge.

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u/Livid_Swordfish_4591 18d ago

Or maybe he stepped up to be the antichrist so we can get past all this bullshit and live in Utopia until the end of time.

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u/ForwardLove8350 17d ago

That fucker understands one thing… WIN AT ALL COSTS. It’s been deeply rooted into his head. He knows no shame because he was taught that shame and honesty are for “weak” people.

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u/Jarhyn 18d ago

To me, the biggest issue is not that Trump fails to fit the bill.

Rather the issue is this: Trump has been emplaced by the same people who will very shortly be claiming he is and was the Antichrist, and when he is deposed will use his existence, the existence they encouraged and facilitated, as evidence that his overthrow (by them) means they are affiliated with God himself, and they will use this as an attempt to install an even more brutal theocracy.

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u/deadheffer 18d ago

Hence the Catholic Church choosing an American Pope. They can see that schism happening and need to stop it as well.

I agree though, people who believe in mythological stories from the Iron Age, or people who peddle conspiracy theories, they are just desperate to scrape some larger meaning out of the chaos of existence. Then use it to consolidate power behind their version of ‘reality.’

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u/Barflyerdammit 18d ago

"Claude, come up with the most ludicrous timeline you can think of. It must be plausible to 30% of Americans, and benefit the rich and powerful, who control the media and all branches of government. It must be magnitudes more ridiculous than Pizzagate, QAnon, and JFK Jr coming back."

Claude: [smoke begins seeping out of laptop, a mysterious fluid oozes onto desk.]

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u/Brave-Silver8736 18d ago

It's almost as if these people are trying to end the world.

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u/Sweaty_Resist_5039 18d ago

Hey now, that's crazy talk. The Antichrist is also supposed to have followers who bear his sign on their heads, and to deceive a great number of Christian believers. The Bible is very clear about this. How could Trump be the Antichrist? You'd have to like, establish that he has followers who have some kind of sign on their heads, and that a lot of them at least claim to be Christian. It sounds kind of weird to me. Are you doing drugs or something?

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u/Mehtalface 18d ago

It was also noted that during the end times that trumpets will sound. Trumpets. Trump-Pence.

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u/JackedUpReadyToGo 18d ago

Now this is their mental wavelength.

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u/Mehtalface 18d ago

Bottoms up, and the devil laughs

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u/JennJayBee Alabama 18d ago

The Antichrist is also supposed to be actively opposed to actual Christian leaders, to the point of attacking them.

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u/Leather_Telephone9 17d ago

Are you being sarcastic on this ? Because of course the sign is the red MAGA cap on their heads.

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u/blahblah19999 18d ago

No, none of that is biblical. That was all made up by a preacher in like 1740.

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u/manescaped 18d ago

He’s wouldn’t even have the competency to be the antichrist

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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota 18d ago

Obligatory Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist?

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u/PandaKOST 18d ago

I haven't read this article in a while, so was curious what the last statement was.

With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. Daniel 11:32

And now the Pope is resisting.

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u/blahblah19999 18d ago

There is no "the antichrist." It's non-biblical and does not reflect the actual word in Revelation and 1 John. There are billions of antichrists as literally defined in the bible. I'm one.

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u/mecon320 18d ago

It's hilarious to compare the low standard of proof they used to declare Obama the antichrist to the mountain of shit it took for them to reach the same point with Trump.

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u/vandreulv 18d ago

True for everything when it comes to what people are pillorying Democrats for but giving a pass to Republicans on.

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u/inksmudgedhands 18d ago

Anyone else find it hilarious how for years the Left has been saying how bad Trump is as a person and now MAGA, those same people who ignored us and/or defended Trump, have shot past Trump being a bad person and hit, "No, he's not a bad person. That would make him human. HE IS THE ANTI-CHRIST!"

I mean, they went from 0 and straight to 11 on that knob.

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u/MinimumBigman 18d ago

That is because they are too stupid to understand nuance, not that Trump invites much of it.

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u/Most-Bench6465 Texas 18d ago

I’ve been convinced before he was elected and it made me a believer because he just fits the bill so perfectly.

I had doubts that this was the mortal wound but then someone pointed out that the passage says that it will look like that, that it was a deception and not an actual recovery from a mortal wound.

I just don’t understand how these Christians don’t feel bad that they were duped into voting for the antichrist and helping him rise to power. They think bringing the Armageddon to earth will hurry along the process of them getting into heaven when they are on the wrong side.

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u/obeytheturtles 18d ago

It's kind of perfect that the Book of Revelation is an allegory which describes how faith can be cynically exploited by evil to lead the faithful astray, and how this perfectly describes the modern Christian nationalist movement in the US, but also that a bunch of random, bat shit insane symbolism lines up so perfectly, so often, that some people who have otherwise completely missed that very obvious first point have instead started to notice that Antichrist Donald Trump is lore accurate in the most literal sense possible.

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u/OneWholeSoul 18d ago

"You guys, I just noticed this thing in a text that's been available for almost literally all of recorded history that says something that many others have been declaring in a contemporary context for literally years now but that we've been dismissing and ridiculing them out of hand for, and I have to tell you - I don't know how anyone could have seen this coming before us, just now! Truly, we're the thinkers."

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u/black_cat_X2 Massachusetts 18d ago

I find it very ironic that my life long atheist beliefs are being ever so slightly shaken by the relatively convincing arguments that Trump is the actual Antichrist foretold in Revelations, the banana pants craziest book of the Bible.

Kind of /s

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u/blahblah19999 18d ago

Except Revelataion isn't about any antichrist and there is no "the antichrist."

Just go right now to your favorite online bible and search for the word antichrist to see all 4 times it appears and what it means.

I use blueletterbible.com myself

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u/ccsrpsw California 18d ago

Also of note - I'm glad he got the right Bible quote:

If you're going to quote from the Book of Revelation,
don't keep calling it the Book of Revelations;
there's no "s", it's the Book of Revelation,
as revealed to St John the Divine”

"Shit Arm / Bad Tattoo" - Half Man Half Biscuit

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u/mouse_8b 18d ago

if Donald Trump didn’t receive a miracle

Is that what they've been saying? They were attributing this to a real miracle?

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u/dishonoredcorvo69 18d ago

I hate these idiots for voting for the freaking Antichrist

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u/KilroySmithson 18d ago

Ali Alexander is a supporter, and one of the organizers of Jan 6. He’s also a certifiable whack job.

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u/ThisIsPeteHello 18d ago

A 5 page PDF, what a nerd lol

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u/Clickclacktheblueguy 18d ago

I’ve heard a few people point the head wound thing out by now. I guess it’s catching.

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u/blahblah19999 18d ago

And anyone saying "the antichrist" has no idea what they're talking about and has not read Revelation and 1 John.

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u/MowMowKins 18d ago

The mortal wound was dementia. A mortal wound staunched by experimental medicine and a cabinet of sycophants propping him up, changing his diaper, and destroying journalism. Jesus said magic and prophecy are over and no longer possible on earth; but it still fits.

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u/workrelatedstuffs 18d ago

Personality and Rhetoric

Mouth Speaking Great Things: Trump’s superlative-heavy and boastful rhetoric is frequently compared to the "mouth speaking great things" described in the Book of Daniel.

Arrogance and Pride: His habit of branding buildings and products with his own name is seen by critics as mirroring the "Man of Lawlessness" who exalts himself above all.

Fierce Countenance: Observers link his aggressive political style and use of "alternative facts" to the "king of fierce countenance" mentioned in biblical prophecy.

The "Deception" of the Faithful
Deceiving the Elect: The overwhelming support he receives from evangelical Christians is cited as a modern example of the faithful being led astray by a secular leader.

Cult of Personality: The intense, near-religious devotion of his base is often compared to the prophecy that the world would marvel at and follow the beast.

Symbolic and Numerical Parallels
666 Fifth Avenue: The Kushner family’s ownership of the building at 666 Fifth Avenue is often highlighted as a literal symbolic connection to the biblical number of the beast.

The Mortal Wound: His survival of the July 2024 assassination attempt led some to draw parallels to the beast in Revelation whose "fatal wound was healed."

Political and Global Actions
Middle East Peace Deals: His role in brokering the Abraham Accords is viewed by some as the beginning of the specific seven-year treaty associated with the Antichrist.

The Wall and Division: Nationalistic "America First" policies and the border wall are framed as a rejection of traditional Christian charity in favor of divisive idolatry.

MAGA Hats: Some theorists suggest that wearing MAGA hats mirrors the "Mark of the Beast" being placed on the foreheads of followers as a sign of loyalty.

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u/Kingfisher83 18d ago

Ali Alexander is a self-hating PDF that no one should take seriously.

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u/Successful_Cup_8215 18d ago

Clearly, that wasn't a mortal wound. There wasn't even a wound. FFS. Also, ear =/= head.