Heaven help us: Trump has a go at radical honesty
Cheek's recap on the week that was.
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Now, onto business. In case you missed it, Donald Trump had our jaws DROPPED this week with the unusually self-aware revelation that he doesn’t believe he’ll be getting into heaven. I had to replay the video three times to make sure it was real!!
The revealing grab was captured by CBS News as the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One that his self-proclaimed Nobel Peace Prize-worthy contributions to the Israel-Hamas ‘peace deal’ were not enough to secure his place in the afterlife. A CRAZY admission coming from the most powerful ally of America’s Christian nationalist movement.
“I’m being a little cute. I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven, okay - I really don’t. I think I’m not, maybe, heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”
Is he going senile? Is his guilty conscience weighing on him in his 79th year? Or is he so drunk on power he’s letting his guard falter? Unclear. But here’s hoping there’s more radical honesty to come!
Kalila Welch, editor of Cheek Media Co.
Favourites from the Cheek office
Hannah’s pick: Beats Solo (Ear) Buds
Another sad state of affairs that this is the product I’ve used most this week, but I must shout out my cheap I-refuse-to-buy-airpods earphones. Mine have been with me through all of my work and travel for the last year, and for around $100, they do the job well. They are Beats Solo Buds, but mine are a cute lilac colour (referred to as ‘Arctic Purple’ because I think brands are scared of things being categorised as feminine in any way).
Kalila’s pick: Hayley William performs True Believer on Jimmy Fallon
There’s a lot of new music out at the moment, so you’d be forgiven for missing the fact that Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams has a new album out: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. While I won’t pretend to be a Hayley Williams mega-fan (I was not a cool enough teenager to listen to Paramore), I have long appreciated her talent and outspoken values from a distance. And even if her music isn’t your usual thing, her recent performance of her song ‘True Believer’ on The Late Show is a must-watch. If you haven’t heard it, the song grapples with US Christian nationalism and the racist underbelly of the South, where Williams calls home.
The vibe of the song is encapsulated in the following lyrics:
They put up chainlink fences underneath the biggest bridges
They pose in Christmas cards with guns as big as all their children
They say that Jesus is the way but then they gave him a white face
So they don’t have to pray to someone they deem lesser than themThe South will not rise again
Til it’s paid for every sin
Strange fruit, hard bargain
Till the roots, Southern Gotham
The Strange Fruit lyric is a reference to the Billie Holiday protest song recorded in 1939, which evokes chilling imagery of the horrific lynchings of the South, where black bodies were routinely found hanging from trees.
Besides the harrowing lyrics, what made William’s live performance so moving was the symbolism of the arrangement and staging - she sits towards the back of the supporting band and orchestra, almost all of whom are people of colour. The performance closes with an orchestral instrumental of “Strange Fruit”. You can watch it for yourself here.
