Understanding Christian Nationalism and Violence in USAunder DonaldTrumpPresidency:

Abstract

The involvement of religion in American politics has long been a subject of scholarlycontroversy.This dissertation examines the ideological integration between Christiannationalism and Trumpism and their combined role in legitimizing political violence intheUnited States, with a particular focus on the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The dissertationprovides a historical and theoretical foundation of Christian nationalism, exploringitstheological roots in Dominionism, its sociopolitical development, and its growing influenceon American identity, public policy, and interpretations of the First Amendment. Then, it shows how Trumpism and Christian nationalism became increasingly inseparable, creatingapotent ideological alliance that redefined American political identity and laid the groundworkfor the Capitol insurrection. The study further centers on the Capitol attack as the clearest manifestation of this ideological merger. It concludes that the fusion of Christian nationalismand Trumpism created a potent narrative of existential crisis that transformed political grievances into moral imperatives. This not only facilitated the January 6 violence but alsoopened the door to future threats against democratic stability. The dissertation warnsofpossible future scenarios involving deeper radicalization and religious-political mobilization, emphasizing the need to understand and confront the ideological foundations of political extremism in order to safeguard democratic resilience