President Donald Trump was criticized after making alarming remarks during his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast event on Thursday morning, including running for a third term and creating a White House "Faith Office" while pledging to "eradicate anti-Christian bias."
Trump announced plans to establish a task force and a presidential commission aimed at protecting Christians from religious discrimination. He outlined several measures to counter what he described as attacks on religious liberty, particularly targeting Christians.
He said:
"To confront such weaponization and religious persecution today I am signing an executive order to appoint [Attorney General Pam Bondi] to head a task force, brand new, to eradicate anti-Christian bias."
"The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government including in the DOJ, the IRS, the FBI, and other agencies."
"In addition, the task force will fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide. If we don't have religious liberty, we don't have a free country."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Trump assured his audience that his administration "will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares" and said "we will bring our country back together as one nation under God.”
Adding that a presidential commission “will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right.” He also announced plans to establish a White House Faith Office, to be led by Reverend Paula White, a longtime spiritual advisor to Trump.
Many have decried the move, saying it threatens constitutional protections mandating a separation of church and state and makes clear that the Trump administration has fully embraced Christian nationalism in its governance.
Despite his adultery, dishonesty, criminal behavior, and other moral failings, Trump claims to be a Christian and has actively sought and received the support of the evangelical community. He has delivered on his pledges to appoint conservative Christian judges to senior positions, a move that has been instrumental in restricting women’s reproductive rights and solidifying his base.
However, a subset of Christian nationalists, estimated to make up around 10% of the U.S. population, stands out by advocating for Christianity to be the official and dominant religion of the country.
Trump’s newly announced task force faced backlash from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The organization’s president and CEO, Rachel Laser, criticized the initiative, stating that the task force "will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subversion of our civil rights laws.”
