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55K views · 1.6K reactions | I hate to land on this comparison this morning because it is so obvious to all. But he shared this artificial social-media picture of himself with her, and, well, the contrast must be made. Sorry, Dolly. DOLLY AND DON THE CON Two images. But what a contrast. Trump has now shared an artificial image of himself walking arm-in-arm with Dolly outside the White House. Similar to the artificial images he has shared placing himself alongside great historical figures—and even portraying himself in Jesus-like imagery. Why? Dolly isn't here to pose for that picture. It never happened. And Dolly spent a lifetime deliberately refusing to let politicians claim her for their side. She stood her ground on that purposefully. She didn't tell us how she voted or publicly identify herself with a political party. More importantly, you didn't have to ask her what she valued. Her love for Jesus Christ was reflected in the way she lived and treated people. Her fruits! She became extraordinarily wealthy—Forbes estimated her fortune at about $450 million—but she also gave millions away, graciously and generously, throughout her lifetime. Her death this week shocked us all. We cried. We mourn. We don't want to know a world without Dolly. She made such an amazing impact during her 80 years. She was joyful. Funny. Smart. Witty. Humble. Generous. Genuine. Bigger than life. A hard worker. Grounded in her faith. She was beloved because of what she stood for. Her legacy will be remembered on and on. Yet after her death, Trump tells us that Dolly “really liked me”—while admitting he knew her only “a little bit”—and then posts an imaginary picture placing himself right beside her. Even in her death, somehow he places himself in the picture. It struck me because we've seen something remarkably similar before. Earlier this year, Trump shared an artificial image depicting himself in Jesus-like imagery. Jesus. Dolly. Two people beloved largely because of the qualities they demonstrated toward OTHER PEOPLE. They put into action: "Love your neighbor.” And that is the contrast I can't get past this morning. Dolly didn't have to tell us how wonderful Dolly was. She SHOWED us. She is mourned because, even though most of us never personally knew her, we loved her. We loved what she stood for—and what she stood against. She grew up poor and never forgot poor children like her. She gave books to children and encouraged reading and learning. She invested in her home community. She helped people after disasters. She supported medical research. She treated people who were different from her with dignity. She could disagree without making cruelty a personality trait. And she spent decades carefully refusing to turn herself into a partisan political weapon or party pawn. She didn't need to manufacture pictures placing herself beside important people. People wanted to stand beside HER. And then there is Don the Con. A man who so often seems compelled to place himself at the center of everything—even someone else's moment. Someone else's accomplishments. Someone else's grief. Someone else's legacy. Even someone else's faith. There is psychological terminology people use to describe behavior like that. I'm not qualified to diagnose him, and I'm not going to try. But I'm certainly qualified to recognize the difference between HUMILITY and SELF-GLORIFICATION. Fruits of the Spirit. Honoring the two greatest commandments. There is a definite contrast here. And as a Christian, the Jesus-like imagery bothers me even more. Jesus taught: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” — Matthew 23:12 Maybe that's why these images he creates and shares bother me. Dolly never needed to tell us she was a good human being. She simply DID GOOD toward human beings. Jesus never taught us to exalt ourselves. He taught us to SERVE others. Buildings can be renamed. Monuments can come down. Names carved into stone can be removed. And they will be! One day they will all be erased. We will spend no time erasing every thing he created. But it's hard to erase the harm that he has done in our country and in the world. History remembers character. Greed. Lies. Division. Hate. Revenge. Corruption. Those don't build the kind of legacy Dolly built. And no matter how many artificial images he shares placing himself beside Dolly—or even depicting himself in the image of Jesus—he cannot borrow their character, their goodness, or their legacy. Oh, Donald Trump will be remembered. But being remembered is not the same thing as being remembered well. History remembers all kinds of names. We remember the names of people who healed and people who harmed. People who served and people who sought power. People who united and people who divided. People who gave and people who took. We "remember" Dolly. We "remember" Judas. We "remember" Hitler. But History does not remember those names for the same reasons. That's the part he seems not to understand: Fame can make your name known. Power can put your name on buildings. Money can put your name in gold. AI can put your image beside anyone you choose. But only CHARACTER determines what people eventually "remember" when they hear your name. Dolly has already written that part of her story. Her actions while on this earth between the dash, 1946-2026, is her legacy. And what an amazing woman she was. We mourn. And no amount of artificial artwork can manufacture character, borrow someone else's goodness and joy, or place a person closer to Jesus. Character isn't created by association. And salvation isn't granted by association either. It is received by grace through faith—and a life of faith should bear fruit. Dolly understood something about that. There is why we mourn her loss. And Don the Con? There isn't enough AI in the world to manufacture the kind of legacy that can only be built by how you actually live and treat others "in the dash." | Sandra Music
I hate to land on this comparison this morning because it is so obvious to all. But he shared this artificial social-media picture of himself with her, and, well, the contrast must be made. Sorry,...