Trump backer Lance Wallnau stays silent on the midterms in private, turning instead to a post-Trump future

Lance Wallnau, one of Donald Trump's most influential Christian nationalist backers, has privately shied away from rallying supporters for the Republican Party before the midterms, instead urging them to focus their attention elsewhere — including emulating El Salvador and Poland, finding a successor for Charlie Kirk and even focusing on their own diets.

At the 'As One' weekend for paying 'partners' in the Dallas-Fort Worth area earlier this month, Wallnau spoke across three sessions about the virtues of El Salvador's prison system, school boards and the movement's future. The midterms, then little more than three weeks away, were not mentioned once.

Wallnau still champions Trump and Republican candidates in public. In spring, he praised Trump's political skill, saying his enemies were alarmed by it. But behind closed doors, he conceded that the MAGA movement is struggling to appeal to young people, and urged supporters to think about building a post-Trump infrastructure, with leaders who will outlast the president.

At the weekend's gala dinner, Wallnau said Charlie Kirk's death bothered him, referring to the slain rightwing activist whose murder at a public event in Utah last year galvanized many on the right. Positing himself as the person to anoint the next Kirk, he said: 'I got to find that guy. That's my job.'

As an international example he promoted El Salvador, praising the country's authoritarian president, Nayib Bukele. He also spoke approvingly of the eastern European nations Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, all of which have experienced hard-right political surges in recent years.

At home, he pointed followers to the power of local action. He praised churchgoers in Southlake, Texas, for taking over the school board, and told those upset about a mosque in nearby Irving to vote out the city council.

Wallnau, 70, is highly revered in evangelical circles. He co-wrote the 2013 book 'Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate', which urges Christians to take control of seven spheres of society, from government and media to education and business. Two years later, in 2015, he became one of Trump's earliest prominent champions.

During the 2024 election, Wallnau founded the Courage Tour, a travelling festival of faith and politics that toured swing states for Trump; his ministry booked more than a million dollars in income from the tour. He has not sought to repeat it in this election cycle.

In a follow-up webinar for As One members last Wednesday, less than two weeks before election day, Wallnau acknowledged that everyone has a certain responsibility but cannot be responsible for the whole nation. Whatever comes out in the midterms will be sorted out when it happens, he suggested, urging followers to focus on themselves — lifestyle or diet — rather than politics.

André Gagné, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal who has followed Wallnau for years, reviewed transcripts of the events and said the silence on the midterms reflected strains in Trump's coalition, even from some of his earliest backers. His sense was that Wallnau feels he has to tread very carefully in what he says in defending Trump or talking about the midterms.