President Donald Trump reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to religious liberty and highlighted the influence of Christian faith in U.S. history during a speech at the second meeting of the White House Religious Liberty Commission on Monday.
“When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker,” Trump stated. “When faith gets stronger, as it is right now … good things happen for our country. It's amazing the way it seems to work that way. Under the Trump administration, we're defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God.”
He emphasized, “We are one nation under God, and we always will be,” in the presence of the commission, which was established by executive order in May and is chaired by Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
The commission includes notable members such as evangelists Franklin Graham and Paula White, former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, author Eric Metaxas, and Roman Catholic Cardinals Timothy Dolan and Robert Barron.
“I believe that so strong,” Trump said. “There has to be something after we go through all of this, and that's something is God. We go through all of this for a reason. It's not easy, believe me.”
He added, “The need for this commission has never been more clear” than after comments from Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., who recently described the idea that human rights come from God and not the government as “very, very troubling.”
Trump also announced that the U.S. Department of Education, which is reportedly moving its workforce development program to the U.S. Labor Department, will soon issue new guidance to protect prayer in public schools.
“I am pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools,” he said, stating that the guidance aims to address “grave threats” to students’ rights to express their faith.
He referenced cases like Hannah Allen, a Texas student allegedly punished for organizing a prayer group for an injured peer, to illustrate ongoing issues.
Trump also invited 12-year-old Shea Encinas to speak, who claimed he was made to read a gender ideology book to a kindergartener while in fifth grade.
Closing his remarks, Trump criticized the Biden administration as “especially ‘mean,’” and said he “ended the weaponization of law enforcement against religious believers and pardoned the pro-life activists thrown in jail,” which drew loud applause.
During a prayer over which Trump presided, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner rededicated the nation to God and called for continued prayer as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.
Turner urged Americans to keep praying for the country leading up to July 4 of the next year, in line with the White House's America Prays initiative, launched during Trump’s speech.
