‘Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias’: At National Prayer Breakfast, Trump Vows to Foster Faith

President Donald Trump addressed members of Congress and faith leaders Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, promising to make America faithful again.

Trump pledged to make America “more faithful to our God than ever before,” even as the United States is currently suffering a crisis of faith.

The Silent Generation, those born from 1928 to 1945, identified as Christian by 84% in a Pew Research Center poll conducted from 2018 to 2019. More than 3 in 4 (76%) baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964) did as well. 

That number has declined in subsequent generations of Americans. Only 49% of millennials (1980 to 1994) identify as Christian. By comparison, Generation Z (1995 to 2012) appears to have stabilized in its irreligiosity. Generation Z is much less religious than their grandparents, while at the same time they are not significantly less religious than millennials. 

Trump promised to sign an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to create a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” He has already fulfilled part of that promise by pardoning Christian pro-lifers convicted in the prior administration under the Freedom to Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, one of whom was in attendance at the breakfast. 

As the West has secularized, Christians and other people of faith have come under increasing pressure to conform to the new secular culture. That is most clearly reflected in polling on the issue. Some 45% of the Christians surveyed who wear religious garb or symbols at their workplace said they felt uncomfortable doing so, and 74% of Christians who wear religious attire or symbols outside of work said that they chose not to wear it at their workplace. 

In his speech, Trump discussed how the United States was united by four words: “In God We Trust.” Those words were added by Congress as the official motto of the United States in 1956. The 1950s saw a tremendous rise in American religiosity. Church membership outpaced the population’s growth, moving from 57% in 1950 to 63.3% in 1960. The numbers were even higher for simply identifying with a religious tradition: More than 95% of Americans identified with a faith in 1957.

Religious leaders have long hoped for a revival in faith like the one that occurred in the 1950s, and Trump’s speech made clear the federal government will not be a hindrance if one does take place in the United States. 

“I will always protect religious liberty,” Trump said, adding that he would be creating a new presidential commission on religious liberty. His remarks came after Vice President JD Vance gave an impassioned address at the International Religious Liberty Summit on Wednesday. 

“A light is now shining over the world,” Trump said about the United States under his administration. He touted his foreign policy accomplishments, asserting that world leaders had privately agreed with his assessment. Trump said recently that the United States would lead the rebuilding effort of Gaza to permanently resolve the conflict between the Palestinians living there and the neighboring state of Israel.

Trump also announced the creation of the White House faith office to be led by televangelist Paula White, who introduced him. White previously served as a senior adviser to the president for the Faith and Opportunity Initiative during Trump’s first term.

A running theme during the 2024 presidential election by Trump supporters was the promise of a national revival. With Thursday’s address, the president promised to help faith leaders make that a reality on the spiritual level, not just in terms of economics.

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