President Donald Trump on Thursday falsely claimed he had eliminated a provision of the U.S. tax code that bans 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

Hey Mr President! I represent evangelicals, televangelists and scientology like Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, David Miscavige, etc.

We collectively call you out as a raping pedophile piece of shit living specimen who wouldn’t dare come after our tax-free status. FUCK YOU!

  • Xaphanos@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    12 days ago

    Unfortunately, it will only be the helpful and tolerant ones. TST, UU, Episcopal, etc. The worst will be supported and amplified.

    • itistime@infosec.pub
      2·
      11 days ago

      amplified

      It would not surprise me if he started appropriating our taxpayer dollars towards them.

    • orclev@lemmy.world
      2·
      12 days ago

      I don’t think he’d have the ability to target specific churches like that, he’d have to remove the blanket religious tax exemption so it would apply to all of them. I think the only way he could target specific churches is if he somehow got them reclassified as not religious institutions and I’m not sure how he would manage that. Doing that to something like the church of scientology is one thing, it’s already on shaky ground, but trying the same thing on something like the Episcopal church is something else entirely. Unfortunately I could see him maybe succeeding at getting TST reclassified.

      • FrChazzz@lemmus.orgEnglish
        2·
        12 days ago

        There was an attempt, way back when, to revoke the tax exempt status of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, CA because the priest there was openly critical of the Bush administration. The argument was that, by criticizing Bush he was endorsing a Democratic candidate and churches at the time were not allowed to endorse political candidates. Of course, Trump changed that (and, possibly, his only legal leg to stand on in regards to this threat). Unless there’s an amendment that makes space for “not hurting Twumpy’s widdle feewings” then, yeah, I don’t think there’s much he can do to pick on particular denominations, etc. But with Trump, nothing is assured.

        EDIT: I see on the original post that Trump’s statement that he removed the clause forbidding churches from endorsing candidates is actually false. Welp.

        • itistime@infosec.pub
          2·
          11 days ago

          I don’t think there’s much he can do to pick on particular denominations

          What about orgs that are directly, or indirectly, aiding domestic terrorists?

      • Xaphanos@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        12 days ago

        I am not certain that a trivial issue like “that’s unconstitutional” is going to present any kind of impediment to him.