Donald Trump has announced a new task force to eliminate what he calls “anti-Christian bias” in the federal government, accusing Joe Biden’s administration of “persecuting” religious Americans. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump introduced several initiatives, including a presidential commission on religious liberty and a White House faith office.
The task force will be led by Attorney General Pam Bondi and is tasked with “immediately halting all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination.” Trump claimed that under Biden, Christians faced “absolutely terrible” persecution, despite Biden being a practicing Catholic.
Trump also spoke about how his faith had been strengthened after surviving two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign. “I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it now,” he said, adding humorously that the bullet that struck his ear during a Pennsylvania rally had not affected his hair.
At a second event later in the day, Trump took aim at Biden’s Justice Department, accusing it of being “weaponized against Christians” for prosecuting anti-abortion activists. He highlighted the case of Paulette Harlow, a 75-year-old sentenced for blocking access to an abortion clinic. Harlow was among ten activists Trump pardoned in his first week back in office.
Trump, who enjoys strong support from evangelical voters, repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was rigged but said he was grateful to be serving his second term, joking that it meant he would be president when the U.S. hosts the Olympics and the World Cup. “God works in mysterious ways,” he said.
The Trump administration has already clashed with religious leaders since his return to office. After the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde used her sermon to call for compassion toward migrants and the LGBTQ community, Trump dismissed her as a “Radical Left hard-line Trump hater” and criticized the service as “boring and uninspiring.”
Religious groups have also condemned Trump’s decision to allow border agents to raid churches in search of illegal migrants, breaking from past policy. As reported by The Times UK, the controversy surrounding Trump’s stance on religion and governance continues to grow.
