“A godsend,” one grizzled retired sailor calls President Trump outside the courthouse at Lower Manhattan, where supporters of the former commander-in-chief await a potential verdict in his first criminal case.

The 80-year-old retired merchant seaman, who professes to go by the name Louie “Lifeboat” Mariner, carries an oar with an American flag affixed to its handle. “The oar is the flagpole,” Mr. Mariner says.

Mr. Mariner worked on the high seas beginning in 1966, after leaving the Navy, where he served between 1962 and 1966 repairing aircraft. He says that in his time as a sailor, he’d traveled to Hong Kong and Barcelona and everywhere in between. 

He was part of what could be seen as a more dedicated crowd outside the courthouse on Thursday. While Wednesday saw dozens of protesters in attendance, the pro-Trump crowd thinned Thursday, as jury deliberations continued.

In Mr. Mariner’s opinion, Mr. Trump was sent by God to save America, and turn people toward Christ.

“I think he’s one of the Protestants — I myself am Catholic — hopefully if I’m right more people will come to Christ,” Mr. Mariner said. “He’s got his flaws but God still uses people. … God can do anything.”

Mr. Mariner says it’s his opinion that God sent Mr. Trump as his messenger because he is flawed, not despite his flaws. He said that Mr. Trump’s philandering, a topic at the center of the case in New York, made him a better messenger, and that he will be forgiven.

“He wants to forgive, if someone is sorry for their sins he wants to forgive,” Mr. Mariner says. “All he wants is for us to love him.”

Mr. Mariner wore a placard depicting the events of the 1917 Our Lady of Fatima Miracle, in which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared before three peasant children. He says that the miracle is analogous to the current historical moment but that in the modern day, Mr. Trump is the messenger of God.

“God can do anything. He made a priest out of an old drunk,” Mr. Mariner said, to illustrate that he believes God chooses flawed messengers. He then spun a yarn about an old priest he remembered who had suffered from alcoholism. “His apostles, they were fishermen, they were rough guys,” Mr. Mariner concluded.

In Mr. Mariner’s eyes, the 2024 election was focused squarely on upholding the Ten Commandments. He cited the need to eliminate abortion and concerns about LGBTQ Americans as his top issues.

“There’s abortion and homosexuality, and I’ve been guilty of some things, I’m a guy, but God wants us to keep his Commandments,” Mr. Mariner said.

While he was speaking to the Sun, Mr. Mariner chafed at some of the more abrasive supporters of the former president who were heckling the press or playing loud musical edits of Mr. Trump’s speech.

In recent elections, Mr. Mariner said he had supported Mr. Trump and that he’s been interested in politics for as long as he can remember. 

“To me, it isn’t politics, it is the life and death of us all,” Mr. Mariner says. “God willing if I’m still alive I’ll vote for him in November or maybe before, now that they have early voting.”