{"id":30727,"date":"2026-02-03T12:01:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=30727"},"modified":"2026-02-03T12:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:01:18","slug":"hillary-clinton-calls-out-prominent-maga-christian-conservatives-over-empathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/02\/hillary-clinton-calls-out-prominent-maga-christian-conservatives-over-empathy","title":{"rendered":"Hillary Clinton Calls Out Prominent ‘MAGA’ Christian Conservatives Over Empathy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: lorie shaull \/ commons.wikimedia.org | Right: The White House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hillary Clinton blasted several prominent Christian conservatives in a recent op-ed for The Atlantic<\/em>.<\/a> Entitled \u201cMAGA\u2019s War on Empathy,\u201d Clinton painted a picture of a bleak America squashed under the thumb of President Trump\u2019s tyranny, with citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti being murdered in broad daylight. \u201cThis crisis also reveals a deeper moral rot at the heart of Trump\u2019s MAGA movement,\u201d wrote Clinton. \u201cWhatever 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?\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cThe savagery is a feature, not a bug,\u201d she asserted. She placed the onus for such widespread cruelty at the feet of \u201cChristian influencers\u201d who justified the President\u2019s 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, \u201cIn the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.\u201d She noted how Christian conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey criticized the sermon, saying \u201ctoxic empathy that is in complete opposition to God\u2019s Word and in support of the most satanic, destructive ideas ever conjured up.\u201d \u201cToxic empathy! What an oxymoron,\u201d wrote Clinton. \u201cI don\u2019t know if the phrase reflects moral blindness or moral bankruptcy, but either way it\u2019s appalling.\u201d Clinton presented herself as a Christian who cared deeply for adherence to biblical principles of mercy and compassion.<\/p>\n

Other Christian conservatives Clinton called out, like pastor Joe Rigney, have referred to empathy as a sin. Douglas Wilson, an ally of Rigney\u2019s and spiritual inspiration to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, also received a knock from Clinton. Clinton characterized Christians like Rigney, Wilson, and Stuckey as \u201cthe don\u2019t-love-thy-neighbor Christians.\u201d \u201cThey may be convinced that they\u2019re the smartest guys in the room, but they\u2019re dead wrong about this,\u201d asserted Clinton. \u201cEmpathy won\u2019t 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\u2019s not a sign of weakness; it\u2019s a source of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those criticized by Clinton, however, leaned into the \u201chonor.\u201d \u201cAs 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,\u201d wrote Wilson on X<\/a>. \u201cHey<\/p>\n

@canonpress, I’m going to need you to reprint the cover of Leadership and the Sin of Empathy with @HillaryClinton’s enthusiastic endorsement,\u201d wrote Rigney<\/a>. \u201cI didn\u2019t have \u2018Hillary Clinton writing a hit piece on me\u2019 on my list of 2026 predictions, but here we are!\u201d wrote Stuckey. \u201cI also didn\u2019t 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\u2019m always happy to discuss Biblical truth with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hillary Clinton blasted several prominent Christian conservatives in a recent op-ed for The Atlantic. Entitled \u201cMAGA\u2019s War on Empathy,\u201d Clinton painted a picture of a bleak America squashed under the thumb of President Trump\u2019s tyranny, with citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti being murdered in broad daylight. \u201cThis crisis also reveals a deeper moral…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":30730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHillary Clinton Calls Out Prominent 'MAGA' Christian Conservatives Over Empathy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hillary Clinton criticizes Christian conservatives in a new "Atlantic" op-ed, accusing MAGA leaders and influencers of abandoning empathy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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