Askold Lozynskyj
Trump’s personal envoy, never confirmed by Congress, real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, recently saluted Russian brutal dictator Vladimir Putin and called him a humanitarian. That was so disturbing and sad that it had me laughing through tears for days.
Frankly, between the diesel deal, the lifting of sanctions and the accolades, I have not stopped thinking about the upcoming midterm elections. It seems to me that they are the only way to at least stop the embarrassment to the United States that Trump and his people, certainly not only Witkoff, continue to cause.
On a more profound level during the last two years I have wondered whether there is any morality in politics. Trump has said more than once that his decision-making process is guided only by his own morality.
The Bible of whatever edition which had served American presidents for two hundred years is no longer in the White House. Trump shamelessly published his own version during the 2024 presidential campaign as a money maker and souvenir. Surprisingly, the religious component of American society, and particularly the MAGA base, was relatively subdued after such a disgraceful display.
I am ashamed to say that at least one religious leader whom I had previously met albeit briefly—the Catholic Archbishop of New York—supported Trump and even delivered the invocation at Trump’s inauguration. Granted his words were humble unlike the sycophantic pastor who followed. Nevertheless, both positions were somewhat difficult to understand.
And then there is the quisling Speaker of the House of Representatives who despite his ineptitude is second to the throne if we use the king nomenclature emanating from the “No Kings” mantra of our American protests over the last year. Speaker Mike Johnson is simply a rubber stamp for Trump, which should be surprising irrespective of the party affiliation. Before entering politics, he worked as an attorney in private practice and for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group. Johnson sat on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention between 2004 and 2012
Apparently, his biography and beliefs are meaningless. This is one of the problems of today’s America. Trump’s morality is the key to how America governs and still attempts to lead the world. That means that there is no morality at all. Buying diesel from the Russians so that they can make more weapons to kill innocent people cannot be considered moral by any standard except Trump’s.
So, I am making my own plea at least to American Christians because I am a Christian as well. My denomination is Catholic. Pope Leo XIV had been critical of Trump’s behavior, particularly
his belligerency. In January 2026, a senior Pentagon official summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States and issued a stunning threat: “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”
I write this plea on the eve of the midterm elections in America because I feel very strongly that America is being misled. It is currently on a path of evil. How did I come to this conclusion? The two most important duties of a Christian are to love God and to love one’s neighbor as one loves himself/herself. All the attributes, the essence of Christianity, are embedded in these two commandments which according to the Bible, were given to us by Jesus Christ Himself.
Loving God and one’s neighbor does not permit killing or supporting the killing of others. If good people see evil and do nothing to stop it, they are complicit in that evil and disobey God’s commandments. My plea: on November 3, 2026 or before, during early voting, cast your vote to stop evil and the killing of your neighbors.
October 24, 2026
