On the Path of Praise

An interview with Dr. Rev. Matthew Fox by Theodore Richards

Richards: You’ve been working for decades to fight against injustice and fascism. What is it like to see the rise of Trump? Are you surprised? What it is an appropriate, prophetic response to Trump?

Fox: It’s true that a lot of the fascism emerging from Trump and his surrogates is déjà vu. I saw this very strongly in the Vatican for 34 years under two popes and I fought it. But it’s still a little dispiriting to see it played out from the White House—and congress—on a daily basis. But no, it’s not a surprise, because it’s baked into so much of what’s been unfolding in our culture.

For example, the right-wing media, which is so dominant. A friend told me once he drove across the country and there are areas where you can’t get NPR, but you can always get Rush Limbaugh, spouting his vile hatreds across the country as he has done for years. And of course, Fox News, which is all the worst elements of Limbaugh wrapped in Rupert Murdoch’s billions of dollars and distorted so-called patriotis…