Our man at the top: How the Seven Mountains Mandate and Paul Weyrich’s Last Testament have shaped the presidency of Donald Trump

Through a comparative analysis, this article reveals the striking similarities between the Seven Mountains Mandate – a dominionist evangelical ideology – and the strategy to ‘restore the republic’ described in Paul M. Weyrich and William S. Lind’s 2009 book The Next Conservatism , also called Paul Weyrich’s Last Testament. The article highlights three points of convergence: (1) strategically, both employ a top-down approach to gain political power with the goal of replacing the existing political ‘elite’ and bolstering fundamental cultural changes; (2) structurally, their proponents operate within networks of seemingly independent yet interdependent organizations and groups; and (3) ideologically, both represent conservative versions of Christian nationalism. Furthermore, the article shows how the strategies’ theoretical underpinnings have manifested in a strong and enduring endorsement of Donald Trump, not only facilitating his election and re-election, but also contributing substantially to shaping his political agenda.