President Donald Trump, 79, is leaning on faith — and his supporters’ wallets — as questions about his health and legacy intensify.
On Saturday, Trump’s Make America Great Again Inc. Super PAC blasted out a fundraising email with the eye-catching opener: “Friend, I want to try and get to Heaven.”
It’s the latest sign that the president, now in his third year of his second term, is grappling publicly with his mortality.
In the email, Trump framed his political mission as a divine calling, tying his survival of last year’s assassination attempt to his broader purpose.
“By the grace of Almighty God, I survived a bullet that was meant to stop me,” the email read, referencing the July 2024 rally in Pennsylvania, where a lone gunman, Thomas Crooks, fired a shot that grazed the president’s ear. “I wasn’t supposed to beat Crooked Hillary. I wasn’t supposed to build the strongest economy in history. I certainly wasn’t supposed to survive an assassin’s bullet — but I did.”
The email ends with a fundraising push: “If you’re with me all the way to the end, chip in $15 and stand with MILLIONS of patriots keeping America strong.”
Despite Forbes pegging Trump’s net worth at $6.1 billion, critics blasted the plea as exploitative. “It’s peak Trump,” said Democratic strategist Lena Ramirez. “He turns his personal fears into a cash grab and calls it patriotism.”
Trump’s sudden fixation on the afterlife comes amid growing speculation about his health. In recent weeks, journalists and political insiders have noted signs of possible decline: bruised hands, swelling around his ankles, and a string of verbal gaffes during speeches.
“People close to the president are quietly talking about succession planning,” one former West Wing staffer told us. “It’s an open secret he’s slowing down.”
Fueling the chatter, Trump vanished from public view for several days after a marathon Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where aides reportedly lavished him with over-the-top praise. With nothing on his public schedule over Labor Day weekend, rumors of his death trended on social media.
On X, one viral post joked, “If Trump’s dead, they should bury JD Vance alive with him like they did with pharaohs and their cats,” racking up over 300,000 likes.
But on Saturday morning, Trump re-emerged on a Virginia golf course alongside his granddaughter Kai, dismissing whispers of his demise. Reporters shouted questions about his health, but Trump waved them off, joking, “I’m alive and winning — a lot of people can’t handle it.”
Still, Democratic leaders argue that Trump’s increasing focus on mortality and salvation underscores what they see as a deeper instability at the heart of his presidency.
“Americans deserve a president focused on the country, not bargaining with God,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). “The world is watching, and we have a leader who’s literally fundraising off his fear of dying.”
With Trump facing plummeting approval ratings following his attempts to illegally withhold $5 billion in foreign aid, Democrats see his Heaven-focused messaging as a distraction tactic. Meanwhile, the administration remains under fire for stalled Ukraine peace talks and escalating border tensions.
“Trump wants voters thinking about his soul,” Ramirez added, “because if they think about his policies, he’s in trouble.”
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