The Trump Prophecy (also known as The Trump Prophecy: A Voice of Hope; A Movement of Prayer) is a 2018 Christian drama film based on a story by Orlando-based retired firefighter Mark Taylor that he named "The Commander-in-Chief Prophecy". It is a collaboration between ReelWorksStudios and Liberty University's Cinematic Arts program, and is the school's second involvement in a theatrically released motion picture after another Christian film, Extraordinary (2017). ReelWorksStudios is owned by Rick Eldridge, who produced the film, and the school's Cinematic Arts department is handled by Stephen Schultze, the film's director.
The film stars Chris Nelson as Taylor, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a house fire that kills a young boy (Landon Starns). In April 2011, after a prayer from his wife (Karen Boles), he is told by God that Donald Trump would one day become president of the United States. By the time near the 2016 election, Mary Colbert (Paulette Todd) learns about the message and starts a national prayer chain to make God's wish of Trump becoming president come true.
There are two parts of The Trump Prophecy: the narrative part about Taylor's experiences that makes up around three quarters of the film, and an interview segment with well-known speakers in the evangelical and conservative circle of the United States.
Described by Vox as a depiction of Christian nationalism in the United States, The Trump Prophecy was released in a time when the idea that God was responsible for Trump winning the election was shared by several evangelical leaders, like Franklin Graham, Richard Land, and Robert Jeffress. It was screened in theaters only on the days of October 2 and October 4, 2018, landing at number 22 on the weekly American box office chart with $671,198 grossed. Making less than its $2,000,000 budget, the film garnered negative reviews from critics.
The Trump Prophecy's producers denied any political motive behind the film. Nevertheless, it was viewed by some Christian commentators, film critics, and Liberty University students as political propaganda. Facebook blocked advertisements for the film for being political, and a Liberty University student started an online petition trying to stop the film that was signed by more than 2,000 people.
Plot
In 2005, Mark Taylor (Chris Nelson), an American Christian firefighter married to a fire dispatcher named Mary Jo (Karen Boles), carries a dead young boy (Landon Starns) out of a crackhouse fire. He has had fever dreams relating to the incident since then, which prompts his doctor (Todd McLaren) to diagnose him as having post-traumatic stress disorder. However, he is not taking his prescribed medication and retires from his position as a firefighter.
Taylor spends the next six years descending into his PTSD-infused situation, facing hypersomnia and nightmares about being taken hostage by a fire demon from hell (Darrell Nelson) while watching television to numb the illness. Mary Jo notices these episodes and prays to God to help her husband; the prayer works, as Mark dreams about a glowing orb that explodes electrical energy onto him. While hearing Donald Trump on television news, Taylor receives a message from God, which he writes down in a journal, informing him, "You're hearing the voice of president [sic]." By the time of the 2012 election, Taylor hopes God's wish will be fulfilled. However, Trump doesn't make it as a nominee and Barack Obama wins instead.
Taylor continues journaling accounts of his dreams and hearings from God up until the start of the 2016 United States presidential election, when he shares his writings with his doctor, Don Colbert (Don Brooks) and his wife, Mary (Paulette Todd). Mary notices a "rhythm of truth" when reading them and builds up a national prayer chain so that Trump will be president and, in turn, Taylor will be relieved of his disorder. She obtains participants by calling others via phone and instructs them to use a shofar in order to increase the chances of Trump winning the election.
Despite several news reports of the unlikelihood of Trump being elected, the miracle occurs as he wins, leaving Mark and Mary Taylor happy and relieved. Worldwide coverage of Mary Colbert's shofar group influences Israelis to start their own group of people blowing the horn. The Trump Prophecy ends with interviews of "a panel of world leaders," those being notable conservatives and evangelicals, answering political questions.