Comments Section: Is Donald Trump a Freemason

Friday is Comments Section Day!! So this comes from the comments section!

Is Donald Trump a Freemason?

I was asked this question recently and it caused me to think about this matter a little further. Now, whether Trump is a Mason or not, is irrelevant, but I will still share my thoughts on that at the end.

What I primarily want to address is why politicians become Masons. Throughout history and across every country there have been, are and will be politicians who are Freemasons.

Now I have personally sat in lodges with many Masons who, outside of lodge are local, state and federal politicians. This naturally breeds the question and the conspiracy theories that because politicians are masons, it’s freemasonry who is controlling the government. The inner, inner circle that pulls the strings of society that only those of the highest degrees in freemasonry sit within.

In this edition of Daily Masonic Progress I am going to address:

1. Why politicians become Masons,

2. Does Freemasonry control the government,

3. Is Trump and/or Biden a Freemason,

Let’s first address whether Freemasonry controls the government.

Many leaders of business, government and royalty have been (and still are) Masons. Our ceremonies themselves even say that “even Monarchs themselves have not thought it derogatory to exchange the sceptre for the trowel”.

Our history has many famous men across every industry and occupation from Astronauts to Basketball Players who are Masons. NBA juggernaut Shaq O’Neill is very public about his active involvement in Freemasonry.

Given so many prominent people throughout time have been masons, while also in positions of authority and power. Members of another secret society who clothe in regalia consisting of aluminium headwear attribute their actions and activities to Freemasonry and Freemasons.

They believe that a mysterious and secret cabal of 99-degree masons who are of the innermost inner circle is orchestrating everything and those politicians have merely been puppets on the end of the string.

I had a similar conversation in another comments thread about this previously, where one claimed that “the Freemasons in every small local town coordinated the railroad commission and the chamber of commerce to decide where the minorities live through zoning laws.”

When I challenged this by asking how one could come to such a conclusion, the response was that the clue is, that they are members of all three organisations.

Except this fails to neglect that it could be the Railroad Commission that is in control of all three groups, or is it the Chamber of Commerce who is in control? The truth is that you could insert any three groups that have overlapping membership into any similar equation and still arrive at the same conclusion that one group controls the town.

Maybe it’s the Alma Mater of a particular university-- even those who did a particular Degree, the local football club and the medical board. How do you conclude that it's the Freemasons controlling things when you have a group of individuals who have shared membership across multiple other groups? How do you conclude that the freemasons make any decision, and not those individuals while acting within their position within the body of the individual organisation that makes said decision?

This whole notion of assuming that because someone is a Mason and they’re in a position of authority is because of “Freemasons” is a mistake that members of the International Order of the Aluminium Cap continue to make by attributing an individual’s actions to their membership in the Craft when such could easily be attributed to any other identity such as lawyer, doctor, postman, rugby player etc, they have.

So when we have the culmination of assertions without any evidence, the simplest explanation usually being right and there is no extraordinary evidence to support these extraordinary claims you arrive at the point that Freemasons, despite the conspiracy theories don’t control the government at any level. Not to mention, I always joke that we often have a hard enough time organising a festive board, let alone controlling the world.

Even if we can use logic, one of the seven liberal arts and sciences, to accept that Freemasons don’t control the government it still doesn’t explain why many politicians on both sides of the aisle are also Freemasons.

I am going to give two answers here, one that assumes mercenary or unworthy motives and the other genuine motivations for becoming a mason.

Now I am not going to assume the mercenary and unworthy motives are consciously intended to be for direct political gain. But we need to keep in mind that we must never attribute to malice something easily explained by ignorance.

Freemasonry is like any local community organisation. Whether it’s the Lodge, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Lions, the Church, the School Parents Association, or the Football Club, these organisations are all full of different people who all care deeply about the local community they live in.

For politicians, membership presents an opportunity to get in front of the voting public as a member of the local community. This is also why Real Estate Agents (being a former one myself) are also members of these groups. It’s purely a networking thing, and also to show your positive qualities as a human being while contributing to the community.

There is going to be a minority of politicians who are in these groups in disguise to create and manage a public perception. To build a network of connections to get them over the line come election.

However, in many and most cases, the motivations to be involved in these groups is because politicians, wait for it, are human beings (yes it’s a shock) who care about the communities they live in, and the reason why they became politicians was to make their communities a better place to live.

So you could say they become Masons for mercenary or unworthy reasons of building a network and faking they care about the community just to get elected, but in reality, they do so because it’s another avenue to contribute to society in a genuine and meaningful way and without directly representing their political aspirations.

However, I think even with having Freemasonry as an avenue to do good in the world, it still misses the reason that I hope is at the heart of every Mason whether they are in politics or otherwise.

Freemasonry has something unique that it and no other organisation can offer people. It offers this to everyone, but more especially to those who are always in the public spotlight whether it’s politics, business, sport or anything else. But it’s also something the average Joe like me and you take for granted.

This is one of the privileges Masonry bestows on its members and it’s a secret we mistakenly overlook. When I point out this secret to you, it will become glaringly obvious.

One of the most beautiful things in Freemasonry is the symbolism of the white lambskin apron. Every mason, of every rank, even though some aprons have more embellishing than others, still wears the same white lambskin apron. This is to teach us several lessons but those more relevant to politicians being masons are that of humility and brotherhood.

Then there are also symbolic lessons taught throughout the ceremony of initiation.

Despite who we are or what we have in the outside world, that’s all left behind when you become a Mason and thereafter enter into the lodge. For inside of a lodge, all are equal meeting on the level and parting on the square.

But also because Freemasonry prohibits the discussion of religion or politics.

Now you may say,

“Well, Darren isn’t this a discussion about Trump being a mason or politicians being masons”.

Remember, we need to keep in mind the definition of the words in our ceremonies based on their meaning at the time of their writing. A discussion means a debate, and it means trying to identify which side of the argument is right/true and wrong/false. Now, if I was discussing whether Trump’s policies were right/wrong, then that would be falling foul of our prohibition.

So because the material world, politics and religion are left at the door and not brought into Freemasonry, the craft can offer something to politicians and people of note. As I mentioned, we as the average Joe take for granted.

I can imagine someone like Shaq, Trump, Biden, Albo, Scomo (for the non-Australians, the last two are Australian Prime Ministers) or any other person in the public sphere; being able to walk into a Masonic Lodge and just be treated like any other brother.

To be treated like a normal person, not as the “public version of themselves” must give them relief. Imagine being someone that wherever you go, you are always “on”, and yes, such is the perils of living in public life. But having a place to go where you can just be yourself, your actual true self, must be relieving. Let alone having a place that is a sacred space where you can contemplate the bigger questions of life.

So Freemasonry offers those in the public life, and everyone else for that matter a place to leave the profane world and just be amongst your equals without any other trappings of life. For a politician, it provides a sanctuary of escape from the constant barrage of questions about your policies and those across the aisle from you.

Now we understand what Freemasonry has to offer and why politicians and other notable people become Masons. What about the question of whether Trump is or isn’t a Mason?

While I don’t have any evidence to conclude that he ever has been initiated into Freemasonry, let’s at least consider what the answer could be on the balance of probabilities.

Given Trump is quite a networker, and while involved in property deals where knowing people was key. I wouldn't put it past him to have at least one point in his life considered becoming a Freemason to expand his network, perhaps even going through with it. But also, for reasons mentioned previously, it’s just as likely as Biden or any other Politician to be a Freemason.

However, one of the key requirements of becoming and remaining a Mason is to be obedient to the laws of the jurisdiction you reside in.

Now it doesn’t matter if you agree with the court’s decision or disagree with it, or really what you think of it — that’s all irrelevant. Freemasonry is not concerned with opinions, just the truth. Another way to put it, Freemasonry is just and true.

So part of obeying the law is obeying the decisions of its judicial system regardless of your own opinion of them — Given that Trump has been convicted and found guilty of felony crimes by a court of law, in the event he was an active member of the fraternity, such would have him immediately excluded.

So, is Trump a Mason? Is Biden or any other politician a Mason?

Truthfully it doesn’t matter, and whether they are is irrelevant to the true practice of Freemasonry, its purpose and its objectives. But they are just as likely to be masons, as they are just as unlikely to be masons.