Trump has put Christian nationalists in key roles - say a prayer for free speech

Adam Gabbatt
Wed 16 Apr 2025 07.00 EDT

Experts warn that a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritized and lead to a ‘further dismantling’ of institutions

The Trump administration’s promotion of white Christian nationalists and prosperity gospel preachers to key government roles will lead to the “further dismantling of government institutions” and the chilling of free speech, experts have warned. Donald Trump announced the creation of an “anti-Christian bias” taskforce and a White House Faith Office (WHFO) in February, saying it would make recommendations to him “regarding changes to policies, programs, and practices” and consult with outside experts in “combatting anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias”.

Both initiatives are dominated by rightwing Christian loyalists – a stark contrast to similar faith-based efforts under Joe Biden and Barack Obama, both of whom welcomed Muslim and Sikh leaders. This has prompted concern that a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritised over other faiths and Christian denominations. With Trump having recently been pictured being prayed over in the White House by a host of white Christian nationalists, concerns are rising about what a government influenced by those beliefs could mean. White Christian nationalists typically are anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigration and anti-efforts to ensure racial equality, and broadly believe that America was founded as a white Christian nation and must be returned to such.

“We will see the further dismantling of government institutions. We will see an abandonment of democratic principles and a further perversion of the institutions of justice,” said Katherine Stewart, a journalist and author of Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, which explores what Stewart calls the “antidemocratic movement” – a mix of Christian nationalists, billionaire or super-rich oligarchs and conservative ideologues who have seized control of the Republican party, and aim to fundamentally change the US. “Trump’s anti-Christian bias taskforce will lead to a further chilling of free speech, political opposition, and investigations of corruption. We will see public funds flowing directly to religious institutions, and the insertion of the Bible and sectarian messaging in public schools, town meetings and other places that serve religiously diverse populations. The intention is to make anyone who is not onboard with their agenda feel that they don’t belong.”

The faith office is headed by Paula White, the tongues-speaking, multimillionaire televangelist who called the Black Lives Matter movement the “Antichrist” and said Jesus would have been “sinful” and not “our Messiah” if he had broken immigration law. And the other appointees to the WHFO are also Christian. Trump appointed Jennifer Korn as deputy assistant to the president and faith director of WHFO. Korn was previously senior adviser of the National Faith Advisory Board, the rightwing, Trump-backing Christian group founded by White. Jackson Lane will serve as deputy director of faith engagement. Lane graduated from Missouri Baptist University and was previously deputy director of faith outreach for the Trump-Vance 2024 campaign.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/16/christian-nationalists-trump-administration?