Daniel in the Lions Den

The June 7th segment of CNN News Night hosted by Abby Phillip profiles Natasha Owens and Julie Green who are Trump supporters with platforms that reach into the evangelical community.

Daniel in the Lions Dens

Some evangelical Christian supporters of Donald Trump have drawn parallels between Trump's legal troubles and the biblical story of Daniel's deliverance from the lions' den.

In 2022, after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, some pro-Trump evangelical leaders compared him to Daniel being persecuted and thrown to the lions by his political enemies

Prominent evangelical pastor Jack Hibbs said Trump was being "maliciously mangled and persecuted" like Daniel, claiming without evidence that the investigations were a "rigged injustice"

Other evangelical Trump supporters have portrayed him as an innocent man of faith being unfairly targeted, much like Daniel was targeted despite being "blameless before God"

The analogy portrays Trump as the victim of a corrupt "deep state" trying to destroy him, just as Daniel's rivals schemed against him out of jealousy 

Natasha Owens and Julie Green are Trump supporters with platforms that reach into the evangelical community.

Natasha Owens

Natasha Owens is an American Christian musician who primarily performs contemporary worship music and contemporary Christian music.

Her 2023 album 'American Patriot' takes a political turn, with songs expressing conservative and pro-Trump views.

In 2024, she released the single "The Chosen One" which appears to praise Donald Trump.

She has an active Twitter account (@tashaowensmusic) where she promotes her music with a patriotic and conservative stance.

Julie Green

Julie Green is a self-proclaimed Christian prophet or minister who shares "prophetic words" and messages through videos on YouTube

She has a YouTube channel called "JULIE GREEN MINISTRIES" where she frequently uploads videos titled as "prophetic words" or messages from God.

Her recent videos include titles like "SHOCKING & URGENT MESSAGE FROM GOD" and "A GREAT RESET New Era For Religious Leader Across The World", suggesting she claims to receive divine revelations or prophecies.

One of her videos is titled "EVERY KNEE MUST BOW Enemy Will Not Conquer US This", potentially referring to religious or political themes.

Before the hush money verdict, Green claimed God told her Trump would be found "innocent" and that the case against him was "disintegrating"

After Trump was convicted on 34 counts, Green stated in a video that it was a "fake verdict" and that Trump is actually not guilty because "there's no crime"

She appeared to reference Trump's unproven claims about the 2020 election being "stolen", saying "You can have a fake inauguration...You can have a fake king...You can have a fake verdict. It doesn't mean that person is actually guilty."  

Green insisted that despite the conviction, Trump "will not do any time behind their bars in their prisons" and that "they will not get what they wanted" with the guilty verdict.

Peter Wehner

Peter Wehner is an American writer, author, and former speechwriter who served in three Republican administrations - Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

He served as a speechwriter for the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. Under George W. Bush, he was deputy director of speechwriting and later director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives.

In a 2023 article for The Atlantic, Wehner wrote that "Far too many Christians in America are not only betraying their humanity; they are betraying the Lord they claim to love and serve" by continuing to back Trump

He argues that Trump's political movement has "reshaped" Christianity in America, pointing to polls showing rising support for political violence among Republican voters who are often evangelical Christians