Character Matters? Christian Nationalism and Insistence on Ethical Political Leaders

This study sheds light on the paradox of the American Christian Right historically emphasizing “character” in political leadership while reporting greater relative support for leaders like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. We do this by re-conceptualizing views on the relationship between Christianity and state (Christian nationalism) as reflecting strength of religio-political in-group identification. Research suggests strong in-group identification both heightens demands for ethical purity while blinding indiv i duals to their in-group’s ethical inconsistencies. Examining both sides of this equation, we predict (1) Americans most polarized on Christian nationalism will report the strongest insistence on ethical political leadership and (2) that this applies to Trump voters as well. Analyses of original, representative survey data reveal holding extreme views on Christian nationalism (for or against) is the strongest predictor Americans insist on ethical political leaders. This pattern holds for Americans who voted for Trump or Biden in 2020, or did not vote, though practically speaking, the strongest Christian nationalists are most often Trump voters. Findings suggest strong views for or against Christian nationalism reflect stronger religio-political in-group identification that may cause Americans to demand ethical purity from political leaders, even as strong Christian nationalists show greater relative support for leaders like Donald Trump.