TruthOrFake Logo
TruthOrFake
Fact Check: Do American White Evangelicals support authoritarianism?

Fact Check: Do American White Evangelicals support authoritarianism?

Published June 26, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
±
VERDICT
Partially True

# Fact Check: Do American White Evangelicals Support Authoritarianism? ## What We Know Recent surveys and studies have examined the intersection of w...

Fact Check: Do American White Evangelicals Support Authoritarianism?

What We Know

Recent surveys and studies have examined the intersection of white Christian nationalism and authoritarianism in the United States. A significant report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) indicates that a substantial number of Americans who identify as white evangelicals exhibit authoritarian tendencies. The PRRI/Brookings survey, which included over 6,000 participants, found that Christian nationalist views often correlate with support for authoritarian governance, anti-Black sentiment, and other discriminatory attitudes.

Moreover, a report from Religion News highlights that Americans who hold Christian nationalist beliefs are more likely to endorse authoritarian views. This suggests a trend where certain segments of white evangelicals may lean towards authoritarianism, particularly in the context of political support for figures like Donald Trump, who has maintained strong backing from this demographic, with 72% approving of his presidency.

Analysis

The evidence supporting the claim that American white evangelicals support authoritarianism is compelling, particularly when considering the findings from the PRRI/Brookings survey. The survey's methodology and the large sample size lend credibility to its conclusions. The report emphasizes how Christian nationalism is intertwined with various forms of discrimination and authoritarianism, suggesting that these ideologies are not just isolated beliefs but part of a broader worldview that influences political behavior.

However, it is essential to recognize that not all white evangelicals subscribe to authoritarian views. The diversity within this group means that while a significant portion may align with authoritarian sentiments, there are also many who do not. This complexity is often overlooked in discussions about the political inclinations of white evangelicals.

Furthermore, the source reliability of the PRRI and the Brookings Institution is generally high, as both organizations are well-regarded for their research in social and political issues. However, the interpretation of survey data can vary, and some critics argue that the framing of questions can influence responses. Therefore, while the data points to a trend, it is crucial to approach the conclusions with a nuanced understanding of the diversity within evangelical beliefs.

Conclusion

The claim that American white evangelicals support authoritarianism is Partially True. While there is substantial evidence indicating that many within this demographic exhibit authoritarian tendencies, it is not universally applicable to all white evangelicals. The findings from reputable surveys highlight a significant correlation, but they also underscore the complexity and diversity of beliefs within this group. Thus, while the trend is concerning, it does not represent the entirety of white evangelical thought.

Sources

  1. Understanding the threat of white Christian nationalism to American democracy today
  2. Video: Yang Scholars 2025: Christian Nationalism in Global Perspective
  3. These U.S. religious groups couldn’t be more different in their political views
  4. White evangelicals remain among Trump’s strongest supporters
  5. New survey points to correlation between Christian nationalism and authoritarian views

Have a claim you want to verify? It's 100% Free!

Our AI-powered fact-checker analyzes claims against thousands of reliable sources and provides evidence-based verdicts in seconds. Completely free with no registration required.

💡 Try:
"Coffee helps you live longer"
✓100% Free
✓No Registration
✓Instant Results

Comments

Leave a comment

Loading comments...

More Fact Checks to Explore

Discover similar claims and stay informed with these related fact-checks

🔍
Partially True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Jul 27, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: Trump's ex- wife Ivana wasn't an American citizen until 1988. She gave birth to Don Jr in 1977, Ivanka in 19Jeffrey Epstein Was Recorded Talking About Trump Before His Arrest Before he died under mysterious circumstances, Jeffrey Epstein was recorded talking about Donald Trump — and what he said was damning. In an audio recording released by journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein described how Trump manipulated his own team inside the White House. The conversation, recorded...81, & Eric in 1984. Let's cancel their birthright citizen ship first. -Andrea Junker
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: Trump's ex- wife Ivana wasn't an American citizen until 1988. She gave birth to Don Jr in 1977, Ivanka in 19Jeffrey Epstein Was Recorded Talking About Trump Before His Arrest Before he died under mysterious circumstances, Jeffrey Epstein was recorded talking about Donald Trump — and what he said was damning. In an audio recording released by journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein described how Trump manipulated his own team inside the White House. The conversation, recorded...81, & Eric in 1984. Let's cancel their birthright citizen ship first. -Andrea Junker

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Trump's ex- wife Ivana wasn't an American citizen until 1988. She gave birth to Don Jr in 1977, Ivanka in 19Jeffrey Epstein Was Recorded Talking About Trump Before His Arrest Before he died under mysterious circumstances, Jeffrey Epstein was recorded talking about Donald Trump — and what he said was damning. In an audio recording released by journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein described how Trump manipulated his own team inside the White House. The conversation, recorded...81, & Eric in 1984. Let's cancel their birthright citizen ship first. -Andrea Junker

Jul 28, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: There are About 1.4 million American women on OnlyFans. There are about 10 million women between the age of 18-25 in the US. It can be reasonably inferred that 14% of women 18-25 have only fans accounts.
Partially True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: There are About 1.4 million American women on OnlyFans. There are about 10 million women between the age of 18-25 in the US. It can be reasonably inferred that 14% of women 18-25 have only fans accounts.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: There are About 1.4 million American women on OnlyFans. There are about 10 million women between the age of 18-25 in the US. It can be reasonably inferred that 14% of women 18-25 have only fans accounts.

Aug 18, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: George Soros and the Open Society Foundations (OSF): They have been the leading donors to the Democratic Party over the past 15+ years. They have been the leading funders behind Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa "terrorist riots." They have funded campaigns of dozens of corrupt judges, District Attorneys (DAs), and Attorneys General (AGs). Soros has publicly stated his intention to dismantle the American constitutional republic. The Democratic Party is aligned with this anti-American agenda.
Partially True

Fact Check: George Soros and the Open Society Foundations (OSF): They have been the leading donors to the Democratic Party over the past 15+ years. They have been the leading funders behind Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa "terrorist riots." They have funded campaigns of dozens of corrupt judges, District Attorneys (DAs), and Attorneys General (AGs). Soros has publicly stated his intention to dismantle the American constitutional republic. The Democratic Party is aligned with this anti-American agenda.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: George Soros and the Open Society Foundations (OSF): They have been the leading donors to the Democratic Party over the past 15+ years. They have been the leading funders behind Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa "terrorist riots." They have funded campaigns of dozens of corrupt judges, District Attorneys (DAs), and Attorneys General (AGs). Soros has publicly stated his intention to dismantle the American constitutional republic. The Democratic Party is aligned with this anti-American agenda.

Aug 18, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: American taxpayers paid $10 million for trump to play golf and cut a ribbon in Scotland and to 'negotiate' a deal where you pay 15% more on most goods from Europe.
Partially True

Fact Check: American taxpayers paid $10 million for trump to play golf and cut a ribbon in Scotland and to 'negotiate' a deal where you pay 15% more on most goods from Europe.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: American taxpayers paid $10 million for trump to play golf and cut a ribbon in Scotland and to 'negotiate' a deal where you pay 15% more on most goods from Europe.

Aug 11, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: The USS Nimitz, the oldest active aircraft carrier, is on its final sea voyage, being deployed to the Middle East to replace the USS Carl Vinson, and will be in the region alongside it for a period. This is considered a significant and symbolic deployment because the Nimitz was involved in the failed 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages in Tehran.
Partially True

Fact Check: The USS Nimitz, the oldest active aircraft carrier, is on its final sea voyage, being deployed to the Middle East to replace the USS Carl Vinson, and will be in the region alongside it for a period. This is considered a significant and symbolic deployment because the Nimitz was involved in the failed 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages in Tehran.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: The USS Nimitz, the oldest active aircraft carrier, is on its final sea voyage, being deployed to the Middle East to replace the USS Carl Vinson, and will be in the region alongside it for a period. This is considered a significant and symbolic deployment because the Nimitz was involved in the failed 1980 rescue attempt of American hostages in Tehran.

Aug 11, 2025
Read more →
Explore All Fact Checks