Trump Tells Church Leaders ‘We’re Bringing Religion Back’ As New Commission Forms

President Trump quipped about “forgetting” the separation of church and state and declared “we’re bringing religion back to our country” during a National Day of Prayer event on Thursday.

“They said separation of church and state, they told me. I said, let’s forget about that for one time. We said, really? Separation? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure,” Trump remarked during the Rose Garden ceremony.

“But whether there’s separation or not, you guys are in the White House where you should be, and you’re representing our country,” Trump told faith leaders at the event, adding, “We’re bringing religion back to our country.”

President Trump: “We’re bringing back religion in our country. And we’re bringing it back — as I say — bigger and better and stronger than ever before.” pic.twitter.com/TM0Y0rx9gz

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 1, 2025

Trump signed an executive order, first reported by The Daily Wire, establishing the Religious Liberty Commission to be composed of church clergy, legal experts, and other Trump allies tasked with identifying “threats to domestic religious liberty,” such as attacks on houses of worship and First Amendment violations, and recommending protective actions.

During the Rose Garden ceremony, Trump thanked Paula White, White House senior advisor and leader of the White House Faith Office, for her dedication to religious freedom and emphasized the importance of protecting religious expression in American life.

“Prayer is not a religious act, it’s a national necessity,” said Paula White, later adding asking God in a prayer to grant the president “wisdom beyond human understanding and capability, and … divine dreams.”

“We call for a spiritual reset in our nation, a return to what is right, a reverence for what is sacred, a real alignment with your divine purpose,” she said.

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, vice chairman of the committee, along with former Housing Secretary Ben Carson, was also present at the event, praising the president: “There’s never been a president who’s invoked the name of Jesus more than you.”

Trump’s latest order builds on Trump’s previous executive action in February, establishing a “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,” which aimed to address what Trump described as the Biden administration’s “egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.”

Religious liberty concerns have escalated significantly in recent years, with numerous legal challenges arising across the country involving prayer in schools, religious symbols in public spaces, and faith-based organizations’ hiring practices.

The Religious Liberty Commission is expected to hold its first formal meeting within the next several weeks, with the commission set to “terminate on July 4, 2026, which marks the 250th anniversary of American Independence, unless extended by the President.”