President Trump drew guffaws from the sophisticates of the mainstream media this week, when he revealed that his motivations for seeking peace in Ukraine might go beyond his—or even the nation’s—interests.

”I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” the president told a Fox and Friends audience.

Imagine that: a prominent national leader admitting that he wants to go to heaven—and, far more shocking, suggesting that his arrival there is not yet guaranteed! Was this some sort of joke?

Maybe Trump saw the shock on the faces of his interviewers, or maybe he even made himself a bit uncomfortable with that statement, because he went on in a jocular, self-deprecating mode:

I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.
Some earnest Christian commentators quickly jumped into the discussion, to point out that good works alone are not enough to earn a place in heaven. They were right, of course; no one earns a place in heaven. Salvation is won only by the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ. So if Trump succeeds in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, that achievement will not win him a place in heaven. But it certainly won’t hurt his chances.

Bear in mind that Trump preceded his remark about wanting to go to heaven by saying, with regard to the war in Ukraine: “If I can save 7,000 people a week from getting killed, that’s pretty good.” Would anyone, Christian or not, MAGA or not, disagree? It is a good thing to save lives. Whether or not one approves of Trump’s approach to the peace talks, his motivation, as expressed in that interview, is impeccable. He wants to end a war, to save lives, to spare millions of people from continued suffering.

If Trump had stopped talking at that point, without mentioning heaven, only his most determined critics could have objected. But by mentioning that a good deed might enhance his chances for salvation, the president touched a nerve.

What jolted the secular mind about the president’s message? What was it that set editorial writers scrambling for punchlines? It was his suggestion that he might judge his own actions against a standard more certain that opinion polls and applause meters; he might be looking beyond the midterm elections, toward a tougher test. He might be worried about his own salvation.

Some commentators hinted at a sinister aspect to the president’s concern: he might put his own “selfish” desire for salvation ahead of the national interest. But that problem would arise only if our national interests were at odds with God’s will—in which case obviously the solution would be to change the nation’s interests, not the president’s aspirations.

Trump’s approach to salvation will not satisfy orthodox Christian theologians. Perhaps his diplomatic initiative will prove unsatisfactory as well, and the bloodshed in Ukraine will continue. Whether or not he brings about a peace accord, I will not presume to judge his chances for getting to heaven. But I won’t blame him for trying.

By Phil Lawler on Catholic Culture