Political Science Professor’s State Department Experience Lends Insights in New Book Examining Religion in Diplomacy During the Trump Transition
Director of the Center for Asian Democracy and Paul Weber Endowed Chair of Politics, Science and Religion, David Buckley
September 13, 2024
By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences
David Buckley’s self-described “accidental” experience as a senior advisor in the U.S. State Department during an unprecedented moment in history, the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration, resulted in newly found insights and research in his recently released book, Blessing America First: Religion, Populism, and Foreign Policy in the Trump Administration.
Director of the Center for Asian Democracy and Paul Weber Endowed Chair of Politics, Science and Religion, Buckley celebrated the launch of his new book at Carmichael’s Book Store on Frankfort Avenue among about 30 attendees during an event on Sept. 3, reading excerpts and sharing some of his own experiences from his time in Washington, D.C. in 2016-17.
The book explores the upheaval of traditional bureaucratic processes, as the transition brought in many individuals skeptical of career experts within the State Department’s bureaucracy. By the time Buckley left the State Department, his office’s staff capacity had been reduced from about 30 staff to approximately six.
"Amid this bureaucratic turmoil, the new administration appeared to actively promote the place of religion in foreign policy – even at times through official governmental channels. Members of the Trump campaign’s evangelical advisory board had direct access to the White House and were the earliest political appointees in the state department,” Buckley stated at the event, discussing the Trump administration’s simultaneous skepticism of the State Department’s bureaucracy while leveraging religion through personal ties on the world stage.
The new book also examines populism and the ways in which Trump leveraged religion to deepen his populist approach.
“Part of the book is about how Trump used religion to feed into his populist performance. Whatever we know about Trump’s personal piety, he loved the performance of religion and used religion effectively to draw boundaries between the in-groups and the out-groups, another thing populists constantly do,” Buckley said.
Kylie Strehl, a junior political science and English double major and Spanish minor, who also is completing the accelerated MA program for political science, attended the event and said Buckley’s insights on Trump’s political performance of religion resonated with her.
“Populist movements and sentiments continue to gain traction throughout the world, highlighting a need for further understanding of the phenomenon,” Strehl states. “During his talk, Dr. Buckley made a comment about how Trump loves the ‘performance’ of religion. I found the choice of the word ‘performance’ fascinating and found myself agreeing. Trump doesn't project his identification as a Christian because he is devout in his faith and his principles, but rather because he likes the appearance of being principled. Trump isn't necessarily interested in religion as a doctrine of living in the way that God intended, but as a means of identifying who is ‘us’ and who is ‘them.’”
Strehl went on to state she is excited to read the book and learn about Buckley's experience in the State Department during a chaotic transitionary period in the White House.
“The newest contribution of the book is the way that it explores the extent to which Trump relied on personal connections and personal ties instead of bureaucratic expertise, which changed religion in foreign policy,” Buckley said.
Now in the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Trump’s presidential legacy continues to shape U.S. foreign policy. Buckley makes the case that the Trump administration’s populist approach transformed religion from a tool of statecraft into a strategy of political control. The book offers broader lessons for understanding the relationship between religion and democracy under populist rule, and explores the possible long-term implications.
