Inside the MAGA Church in a Bar Near the White House

What happens when hundreds of young Republican staffers trade Sunday brunch for a three-hour evangelical service inside a Washington dive bar just blocks from the White House? Read the full story in Vanity Fair here: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/maga-dive-bar-washington-dc On this eye-opening episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, Tara shares her firsthand experience stepping into the bar-turned-church, the cultural shock it evoked from her own Catholic upbringing, and the deeper implications of blending spiritual belonging with Washington networking. Steve Schmidt reflects on his encounters with evangelical culture, the dangers of fusing faith and politics, the risks of Christian nationalism, and why separation of church and state remains one of America's most vital safeguards. From personal family stories to sharp analysis of today's political-religious landscape, the discussion uncovers why this phenomenon resonates so strongly with a generation seeking meaning amid isolation. What does the rise of places like King's Church reveal about power, faith, and the next generation of political leaders in Washington? For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-epstein-story-isnt-just-americanits https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/live-with-tara-palmeri-to-talk-epstein https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-vanity-fair-link-fixed To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 The Warning with Steve Schmidt: https://www.youtube.com/@UC2I50t9-7Ol7AjwryRv-Fiw Steve Schmidt's substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/ Follow Steve Schmidt: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSES https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningses Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #MAGA #ChristianNationalism #Evangelical #Trump #Politics #Religion #WashingtonDC #VanityFair #KingsChurch #KingsChurchDC #FaithAndPolitics #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri Inside the MAGA Church in a Bar Near the White House Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 00:29 King's Church: Sunday Service in a DC Dive Bar 01:14 Steve Schmidt joins the Tara Palmeri Show 02:09 Evangelical Culture and Personal Upbringing 05:13 Inside the Vanity Fair Piece on King's Church 06:58 Networking and Power at King's Church 10:05 Concerns About Faith and Politics Fusion 15:23 Dangers of Christian Nationalism 20:07 Young Staffers Seeking Meaning in DC 28:39 Gen Z Conservatives and Church Appeal 32:20 Current Political Scandals and Revulsion 40:14 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices