“You have to live it” Jesse Ventura Bursts into Laughter When Trump Calls Himself a Religious Person

According to a report by Newsweek on Sunday, August 11, 2024, in a recent appearance on MSNBC, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura burst into laughter when former President Donald Trump referred to himself as a “religious person.”

Ventura’s reaction came during an interview on the show PoliticsNation with Reverend Al Sharpton, where the conversation turned toward the significant changes Ventura has observed in Trump over the years.

Ventura, a well-known independent political figure who once counted Trump as a friend, discussed the apparent transformation of Trump’s political and personal beliefs.

He remarked that Trump is no longer the person he knew back in 1998 when Trump initially approached him after Ventura’s gubernatorial win in Minnesota.

At that time, Ventura recalls, Trump’s views were considerably more liberal, a stark contrast to his current positioning as a conservative Republican leader.

Ventura summarized Trump’s motivations succinctly: “Donald Trump is for Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is going to do whatever it is that supports Donald Trump.”

The conversation took a humorous turn when Ventura addressed Trump’s recent claims of being a religious person, a statement that Ventura found difficult to take seriously.

Ventura laughed, remarking, “Well, to me, if you’re going to be a religious person, you have to live it.

And Donald Trump hardly lives it.

I mean, he’s had multiple wives.

I’m an agnostic atheist, and I think that I’m more religious than he is.”

This commentary from Ventura follows Trump’s appearance at the Turning Point Action’s (TPA) Believers’ Summit, an event aimed at uniting Christians across the United States.

During his speech at the summit, Trump declared his Christianity and urged the attendees to vote, emphasizing his appeal to evangelical Christians.

“I love you Christians. I’m a Christian.

I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote.

In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote,” Trump stated.

Trump’s campaign has not yet responded directly to Ventura’s comments, but spokesperson Steven Cheung had previously mentioned to Newsweek that Trump’s remarks at the summit were about uniting the country and fostering prosperity for all Americans, as opposed to the divisive political climate currently prevailing in the nation.

The relationship between Trump and the evangelical Christian community has been a notable aspect of his political career, particularly during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Trump managed to build a strong alliance with white evangelical Christians, who supported him largely due to his stance on issues like abortion and religious freedom.

He positioned himself as a champion of evangelical causes, promising to appoint conservative judges and protect religious liberties.

However, as the political landscape has evolved, some evangelical leaders have begun to voice concerns over the dangers of endorsing political candidates too closely.

Kimberly Reisman, executive director of World Methodist Evangelism, expressed concerns last month about the negative impact of aligning too closely with political figures.

She warned that such endorsements could harm the broader Christian community across the country.

Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, echoed these sentiments, pointing out that endorsements from church leaders often fail to hold political candidates accountable to the full range of values that Christians are supposed to represent.

Reisman stated, “God can use leaders from all parties, and to equate God’s will with the will of any political party or person is exceedingly dangerous and a threat to the overall witness of Christians in the United States.”

Ventura’s relationship with Trump has always been complicated.

In the early 2000s, Ventura had expressed support for Trump, considering him as a potential Reform Party presidential candidate, a party platform on which Ventura himself was elected as governor in 1998.

During that time, Trump had referred to Ventura as a friend and expressed his support.

However, over the years, Ventura’s view of Trump has shifted dramatically, particularly as Trump’s political and personal actions have increasingly diverged from Ventura’s principles.

In a 2016 opinion piece for Time magazine, Ventura made it clear that he could not endorse Trump, distancing himself from his former friend.

This distancing continued in Ventura’s recent criticism of Trump and his current running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.

Ventura specifically took issue with their character and values, particularly in relation to military service—a topic that has become increasingly prominent in the current political discourse.

Ventura, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, has been vocal about the importance of respecting military service.

In an interview with CNN’s Laura Coates, Ventura criticized Vance, accusing him of not showing the respect expected from someone who has served in the Marine Corps.

Ventura stated, “Vance is doing a disservice to himself and a disservice to the United States Marine Corps.

I know a lot of great Marines, and Marines show respect, and Vance is not showing respect.”

The debate around military service and its portrayal in political campaigns has been a contentious issue, especially in the recent election cycle.

Vance and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have both come under scrutiny for their military records.

Vance, who served in the Marine Corps for four years but did not see combat, worked as a combat correspondent in Iraq from August 2005 to February 2006.

Meanwhile, Walz’s military service in the National Guard has also been questioned.

Vance accused Walz of “stolen valor,” claiming that Walz lied about his service and abandoned his unit before it was deployed to Iraq.

Walz, who served 24 years in the National Guard and left two months before his battalion was deployed, has acknowledged that he never saw combat but has expressed gratitude for the opportunities his military service provided him.

The ongoing dialogue around military service, religious values, and the role of political endorsements in the current election cycle highlights the deep divisions and complex dynamics at play in American politics today.