Trump signs executive order targeting 'anti-Christian bias'
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order creating a Justice Department task force to eradicate what he called "anti-Christian bias" within the federal government.
In 2023, a House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government reported that under the pretext of tackling the threat of domestic terrorism, the FBI's Richmond office described certain "radical-traditionalist Catholics" as violent extremists and "proposed opportunities for the FBI to infiltrate Catholic churches as a form of threat mitigation."
Last May, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to stop an "attempt to redefine federal law through agency guidance." The previous month, the EEOC had redefined workplace protections based on “sex” to include “gender identity.”
The mission of the task force will be to "immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination in the federal government," including at the Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS and other agencies, Trump said in a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
"In addition, the task force will work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society, and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide," he said.
The formation of the task force was part of the GOP's official platform in 2024, and Trump affirmed the pledge on the campaign trail.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement following Trump's announcement that "rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task force will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subversion of our civil rights laws."
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White House faith office
Trump also said he's forming a White House faith office. The office will be led by Paula White, who worked as an adviser to Trump on a similar initiative in his first term. White is a pastor at StoryLife Church in Apopka, Florida.
In his first week in office, Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists, including Paulette Harlow, whom he said was jailed for "peacefully praying." Trump said Thursday that Harlow was an example of the DOJ being "weaponized" against Christians in the previous administration.
Harlow was arrested on Oct. 22, 2020, during Trump's first term, for blocking access to an abortion clinic. She was prosecuted during the Biden administration and convicted of federal offenses in 2023 under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which makes it a crime to use force, threat of force or physical obstruction to prevent someone from obtaining or providing reproductive services. She was sentenced to two years in prison.
Trump said Thursday in his breakfast remarks that the law should not have been used to prosecute Harlow.
"Grateful that he is safeguarding religious liberty by appointing AG Pam Bondi to lead a task force against anti-Christian bias in the federal government," Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, chimed in on X after Trump's announcement
Addressing church vandalism
Among the issues highlighted in the order was an increase in vandalism at conservative churches after nationwide abortion rights protections were reversed.
Property destruction and a handful of violent incidents at conservative Christian churches and pregnancy resource centers gained attention after the May 2022 leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which overturned the abortion protections guaranteed in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
A conservative advocacy group, CatholicVote, has tracked "at least 318 attacks perpetrated against Catholic churches since the Supreme Court leak." However, the tracking page acknowledges "the vast majority have only involved property destruction" such as graffiti and broken windows. A letter sent by the group to the U.S. Department of Justice urging more prosecutions caught the attention of key conservative politicians.
The number of vandalism incidents against churches remains small compared with incidents targeting abortion clinics documented annually by the National Abortion Federation, an abortion rights group.
Even as hundreds of abortion clinics closed following the 2022 SCOTUS decision, the group documented a spike that year in "violence and disruption." Their report tallied, among other incidents, 395 instances of trespassing, 40 assaults, 43 burglaries, 101 cases of vandalism, 200 death threats, 73 hoax bombs, and 20 invasions into a facility by protesters.
Foster care policy
The order also states that "the Biden Department of Health and Human Services sought to drive Christians who do not conform to certain beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity out of the foster-care system."
That claim appears to be a response to the Biden administration policy in 2024 that requires state-run, federally funded child welfare agencies to identify some foster homes as “a designated placement for LGBTQI+ children” with relevant training to support their unique health needs. Kids who identify as LGBTQ+ are disproportionately represented among children removed from their families and placed into foster care.
Many states have faith-based organizations that encourage Christians to become foster parents. Some of those groups state they oppose same-sex marriage or do not believe in more than two gender identities, which could put members of those groups at odds with children in their care.