There is going to be a witch spell vs. Christian prayer showdown over Trump's mortal fate


What will you tell your grandchildren when they ask you whose side you were on in the great spiritual war of 2017? It might be time to start picking sides: On Friday, witches worldwide reportedly plan to "cast a spell that would bind Trump to all who abet him," and the folks at ChristianNationalism.com plan to fight back with "a Day of Prayer" to protect the president.
The witches are instructed by "writer, speaker, and magical thinker" Michael M. Hughes to cast their binding spell on every night of the waning crescent moon, such as the one tomorrow, using "an unflattering photo of Trump," the Tower card of a tarot deck, a pin or nail, a white candle, a feather, bowls of water and salt, matches, and a dish of sand. For anyone worried about their karma, Hughes writes that binding "seeks to restrain someone from doing harm" and is "differentiated from cursing or hexing, which is meant to inflict harm on the target(s)." The more you know!
In the other corner, ChristianNationalism.com commands "Christian soldiers" to counter the witchcraft by reading from Psalm 23. "We ask you to join us in praying for the strength of our nation, our elected representatives, and for the souls of the lost who would take up Satanic arms against us," the author writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And if that wasn't enough, there could possibly be "chaos magicians for Trump" in the mix:
Will the witches and Christian soldiers/chaos magicians simply cancel out the other's prayers/spells? Will one overcome the other to become America's spiritual victor? Trump's mortal fate hangs in the balance, and only time will tell.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The seven strangest historical discoveries made in 2025
The Explainer From prehistoric sunscreen to a brain that turned to glass, we've learned some surprising new facts about human history
-
Sudoku hard: June 19, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Crossword: June 19, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia