Hillary Clinton Warns of MAGA ‘War on Empathy’ in Sweeping Essay: ‘Savagery Is a Feature, Not a Bug’

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Hillary Clinton accused the MAGA movement of transforming “savagery” into a moral value, arguing in a sweeping new essay the idea that “compassion is weak and cruelty is strong” has become an “article of MAGA faith” – which she warned has become a “rallying cry” to Christian nationalism.

In a 6,000-word article published in The Atlantic on Friday, titled “MAGA’s War on Empathy”, Clinton framed recent federal actions in Minnesota as a turning point that exposes what she called a deeper ethical breakdown within President Donald Trump’s movement.

She opened by describing her reaction to video footage showing the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, comparing him to the biblical parable of the good Samaritan.

“Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves and help those in need,” she wrote. “Not in Donald Trump’s America.”

According to Clinton, such incidents reveal that fear has become the central objective of federal enforcement under the current administration, rather than public safety or justice, writing: “Trump and his allies believe that the more inhumane the treatment, the more likely it is to spread fear. That’s the goal of surging heavily armed federal forces into blue states such as Minnesota and Maine – street theater of the most dangerous kind.”

“The savagery is a feature, not a bug,” she later added of the MAGA movement.

In a central focus of the essay, moving beyond Minnesota, Clinton argued “the glorification of cruelty and rejection of compassion” she claims is evident in Trump’s policies appeals most to “a cadre of hard-right ‘Christian influencers’” that she argued are waging a “war on empathy.”

In particular, she pointed to one podcaster who coined the phrase “toxic empathy” in a sermon.

Trump’s “personal immorality and his administration’s cruelty,” Clinton wrote, “marginalizes mainstream religious leaders who espouse traditional values” and “threatens to pave the way for an extreme vision of Christian nationalism that seeks to replace democracy with theocracy in America.”

She warned that this ideology is no longer fringe, citing its influence among elected officials – naming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s church leader Douglas Wilson.

Clinton went on to attack Trump’s character, making clear that she does not view him as a person of faith, and added: “His corruption isn’t just a personal matter — it taints everything he touches, including his Christian supporters.”

She contrasted Trump with earlier Republican leaders, including former President George W. Bush, whom she credited with promoting “compassionate conservatism,” even while disagreeing with his policies.

Clinton also defended the idea of empathy, arguing it “does not overwhelm our critical thinking” but “opens our eyes to moral complexity.” She also reflected on her own past rhetoric and “struggle” with empathy, referencing her 2016 comment describing some Trump supporters as “a basket of deplorables.”

While standing by her comment, framing it as a condemnation of hatred and bigotry, she wrote: “We can see the humanity in even the worst of our fellow human beings and still fiercely resist tyranny.”

“To be strong,” she concluded, “we need more empathy, not less.”

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