Not only is Trump attacking the First Amendment— but he is also undermining the first clause of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is known as the Establishment Clause.
There may be a lack of public concern about his actions in this area for two reasons. First, America has become more secular, so what Trump is doing with religion may seem irrelevant. That would be a huge mistake. The Establishment Clause protects the diversity of religion in America, shielding minority religions—Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and others—from the dominance of the still overwhelmingly Christian majority. It also protects non-believers from religion, particularly from the imposition of a government-favored Christian morality.
This clause should be important to Christians as well. America is home to a wide range of Christian traditions, from very progressive to very conservative. Favoring one type—such as Evangelical Christianity—threatens all others.
For Catholics and Protestants alike, faith is not just about private devotion but about public witness, rooted in the radical ministry of Jesus, who stood with the poor, the immigrant, and the outcast. Trump’s efforts to undermine this constitutional safeguard are more extensive than many realize.
1 Trump & Bishop Budde
Trump’s first clear attack was on Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who preached at the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral on January 21, 2025. She dared to ask Trump to show mercy toward immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Trump attacked her, saying, “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.” (Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/trump-bishop-plea.html)
In fact, Trump brought politics into the church simply by attending. “Ungracious” barely begins to describe his behavior. On January 20, 2025, Trump signed 26 executive orders—harsh, undemocratic, and un-American—defining his second-term approach. Asking him to show mercy was, if anything, mild. Jesus said, “Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Trump, whose record is filled with lies, proved the opposite. His supporters have since harassed Budde, even issuing death threats, now under investigation by Washington, D.C. police.
2 ICE & Wilson Velásquez
Wilson Velásquez, his wife, Kenia Colindres, and their three children fled Honduras in 2022, entering the U.S. illegally but immediately requesting asylum. Living in Atlanta, they complied with all regulations and attended church faithfully. On Sunday, January 26, 2025, during service, Velásquez’s ankle monitor began beeping. He stepped outside out of respect—and was immediately arrested by ICE agents waiting for him.
The next day, Colindres spoke with her husband. She learned that he could not see a judge. Instead, he was being transferred to Stewart Detention Center for deportation. One of Trump’s January 20 executive orders gave ICE permission to enter “protective places” like churches and schools. Would they have arrested Velásquez inside the sanctuary had he not come out? His arrest raises serious concerns about the weaponization of federal agencies to target immigrants even in sacred spaces.
3. Ending “Grace” Because of DEI
On February 3, 2025, Grace—an employee resource group established during Trump’s first term to promote religious diversity in the diplomatic corps—was suspended. Not because it was Christian but because it was now considered part of “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), which Trump has increasingly attacked. This signals hostility toward not just pluralism but even interfaith cooperation.
4 & 5. Anti-Christian Bias Task Force and Faith Office Redux
On February 6, 2025, Trump signed an executive order creating a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. The next day, he re-established the White House Faith Office and reappointed televangelist Paula White-Cain to lead it.
Neither initiative passes the Lemon Test (from Lemon v. Kurtzman, 1971), which evaluates if a government action:
**Has a secular purpose;
**Does not primarily advance or inhibit religion;
**Avoids excessive entanglement with religion.
Both fail on all three counts, privileging Evangelical Christianity in particular.
6. Rev. Dr. William Barber II Arrested for Praying
Rev. Dr. William Barber II was arrested on April 20, 2025, while praying in the Capitol Rotunda in protest of the Republican budget. The charge? “Incommoding”—causing annoyance or obstruction. Yet no such action was taken in 2023 during an Evangelical worship event led by Sean Feucht in the same space—evidently, the content and political alignment of the prayer matters more than the act itself.
7. Religious Identity Signaling
On April 29, 2025, Trump issued a proclamation commemorating the 418th anniversary of the First Landing and the raising of the Cape Henry Cross—an event steeped in Christian colonial identity. Only two other presidents (Theodore Roosevelt and George W. Bush) have ever recognized this event. Trump’s omission of more inclusive religious milestones—such as the founding of the first synagogues, temples, and mosques in America—reveals an agenda that celebrates white Christian nationalism rather than American pluralism. The postscript lists some world religion firsts in America to help Trump be more pluralistic, which he can acknowledge with a proclamation.
8. National Day of (Christian) Prayer
On May 1, 2025, Trump proclaimed a National Day of Prayer. This day is rooted in a 1988 law, which itself violates the Establishment Clause by exclusively mentioning “churches” and failing to include synagogues, mosques, temples, or secular spaces. Trump’s proclamation exacerbated the problem by not making mention of these other traditions—nor including the practice of meditation, despite it being part of the original law.
9. Religious Liberty as Religious Privilege
Also, on May 1, Trump created the Religious Liberty Commission by executive order. While religious liberty is a cherished value, this Commission appears to prioritize Evangelical Christian interests, focusing on things like:
**Vaccine mandate objections;
**Religious education in public schools;
**Government displays of Christian imagery.
This is not religious liberty for all—it is religious privilege. Again, the Lemon Test fails, and the direction of this commission raises red flags for anyone concerned about constitutional protections.
Trump’s recent actions do not reflect a defense of religious freedom but rather a systematic effort to erode the Establishment Clause and reframe American identity around white Evangelical Christianity. His proclamations and executive orders privilege one religious viewpoint over all others, marginalizing other Christian faiths, world religions, and non-believers alike. This violates not only the Constitution but the spirit of pluralism and tolerance that undergirds American democracy.
By contrast, President Biden’s Religious Freedom Day proclamation on January 16, 2025, offers a vision rooted in constitutional values and true religious liberty: “Whether you worship in a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque, the Constitution of the United States protects every American’s right to practice their faith freely—or to practice no faith at all.” (Source: https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/15/a-proclamation-on-religious-freedom-day-2025/)
Trump’s strategy is clear: use religion not as a unifying force but as a political weapon. Defenders of religious liberty—religious and secular alike—must not remain silent. The integrity of the First Amendment depends on our vigilance.
PS: In terms of religious pluralism, Trump can proclaim the following religious firsts:
**Jewish Synagogue, Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI, founded in 1763
**Buddhist Temple, the Buddhist Church of America in San Francisco, CA, founded in 1899
**Hindu Temple, the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in San Francisco, CA, founded in 1906
**Sikh Temple, the Gurdwara Sahib in Stockton, CA, founded in 1912
**Islamic Mosque, the Highland Park Mosque, Detroit, MI, founded in 1921
**Baháʼí House of Worship, Wilmette, IL, founded in 1953
**Jain Center of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, founded in 1979
Day 105: days left to January 20, 2029: 1,357 days
