Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute, likewise believes Trump has successfully folded the indictments into his larger effort to portray himself as the last line of defense for White Christian conservatives fearful their influence is waning as America grows more diverse. “Since his rise to power, with winks and nods to white supremacists and claims such as ‘I am your voice,’ Trump became the symbol of white Christian entitlement and power in a rapidly changing country,” says Jones, author of the new book “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.” “MAGA, with its siren song of loss and nostalgia in that final word ‘again’, was crafted as a rallying cry for this sentiment.”