Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 6, 2025 /
15:20 pm
President Donald Trump has announced the launch of a new Department of Justice task force dedicated to fighting anti-Christian bias.
During remarks delivered at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning, Trump said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi would head the task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” and halt “all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government.”
According to Trump, Bondi and the commission will “fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and … move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.”
“While I’m in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals, and in our public squares,” he said. “And we will bring our country back together as one nation under God.”
Trump further announced that he plans to establish a new presidential commission on religious liberty as well as a White House faith office to be led by televangelist Rev. Paula White, his longtime adviser on religion.
Also present at the event were several families of Israeli hostages who were taken by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump addressed them, saying: “We are joined today by several brave families whose loved ones were taken hostage during the horrible Oct. 7 attack. We are keeping you in our hearts and our prayers. As president, I will not rest until every last hostage is returned.”
Noa Argamani, a former hostage who was freed during a raid by Israeli forces over the summer, was also present at the event. Trump called her survival “unbelievable,” attributing her freedom to “the grace of God.”
“Innocent civilians [that were] attacked on Oct. 7 were targeted for one reason: because they were Jews,” Trump continued. “They were murdered and kidnapped because of their faith, and these events remind us of how blessed we are to live in a nation that has thrived for two and a half centuries as a haven of religious freedom.”
The bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast has been split into two events since 2023 when a dispute between lawmakers and the event’s coordinators led to the establishment of a separate smaller event on Capitol Hill that is mostly attended by members of Congress and other government officials.
Trump attended the Capitol Hill breakfast in addition to the main event, which was hosted at the Washington Hilton.
“I really believe you can’t be happy without religion, without that belief,” Trump told lawmakers during his remarks on Capitol Hill, stating: “Let’s bring religion back, let’s bring God back into our lives.”
Madalaine Elhabbal is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency based at EWTN’s Washington, D.C., bureau. She has been published by CatholicVote and has also worked as foreign language assistant in France. She is a graduate of Benedictine College.
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