Hillary Clinton blasted several prominent Christian conservatives in a recent op-ed for The Atlantic. Entitled “MAGA’s War on Empathy,” Clinton painted a picture of a bleak America squashed under the thumb of President Trump’s tyranny, with citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti being murdered in broad daylight. “This crisis also reveals a deeper moral rot at the heart of Trump’s MAGA movement,” wrote Clinton. “Whatever you think about immigration policy, how can a person of conscience justify the lack of compassion and empathy for the victims in Minnesota, and for the families torn apart or hiding in fear, for the children separated from their parents or afraid to go to school?”

While admitting past presidents had also enforced immigration policy and deported illegal aliens (her own husband included), Clinton accused the Trump administration of extra cruelty. “The savagery is a feature, not a bug,” she asserted. She placed the onus for such widespread cruelty at the feet of “Christian influencers” who justified the President’s actions as moral and necessary. She noted how the Episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde was slammed by Christian influencers after asking the President during his inauguration, “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” She noted how Christian conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey criticized the sermon, saying “toxic empathy that is in complete opposition to God’s Word and in support of the most satanic, destructive ideas ever conjured up.” “Toxic empathy! What an oxymoron,” wrote Clinton. “I don’t know if the phrase reflects moral blindness or moral bankruptcy, but either way it’s appalling.” Clinton presented herself as a Christian who cared deeply for adherence to biblical principles of mercy and compassion.

Other Christian conservatives Clinton called out, like pastor Joe Rigney, have referred to empathy as a sin. Douglas Wilson, an ally of Rigney’s and spiritual inspiration to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also received a knock from Clinton. Clinton characterized Christians like Rigney, Wilson, and Stuckey as “the don’t-love-thy-neighbor Christians.” “They may be convinced that they’re the smartest guys in the room, but they’re dead wrong about this,” asserted Clinton. “Empathy won’t destroy civilization; indeed, it just might save it. We can debate policies. We can debate theology. But if we give up on empathy, we give up on any real chance of coming together to solve our problems. Empathy does not overwhelm our critical thinking or blind us to moral clarity. It opens our eyes to moral complexity. It’s not a sign of weakness; it’s a source of strength.”

Those criticized by Clinton, however, leaned into the “honor.” “As it now appears that Hillary is aware of my existence, and is not exactly a fan, I wanted to state on the record that I am feeling upbeat, and am not downcast or depressed in any way,” wrote Wilson on X. “Hey

@canonpress, I’m going to need you to reprint the cover of Leadership and the Sin of Empathy with @HillaryClinton’s enthusiastic endorsement,” wrote Rigney. “I didn’t have ‘Hillary Clinton writing a hit piece on me’ on my list of 2026 predictions, but here we are!” wrote Stuckey. “I also didn’t expect her criticisms of me to be theological in nature, especially considering her long record of unconditional support of abortion and other far-left causes, though I’m always happy to discuss Biblical truth with anyone.”