Trump Signs Order to Address Anti-Christian Bias in Federal Government

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at eradicating anti-Christian bias in the federal government by having agencies review policies and practices that he claims have attempted to squelch religious activities and activism.

Announcing the order at the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump appointed his new attorney general, Pam Bondi, to lead a task force at the Justice Department to spearhead the effort. He stated the task force would "fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society" and would work diligently to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.

Trump emphasized the significance of the document he was signing, asserting that it represents a powerful new direction for religious liberty in the country. He insisted that without religious liberty, there can be no free country.

The executive order aims to reverse what it identifies as an "egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians" while ignoring violent anti-Christian offenses under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. The order cited recent convictions of anti-abortion demonstrators for blocking access to abortion clinics.

Critics argue that the order and the task force distort the traditional understanding of religious freedom established by the First Amendment and reinforced by decades of laws and Supreme Court decisions by favoring a specific religion.

Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, stated that instead of protecting religious beliefs, the task force would misuse religious freedom to justify discrimination and undermine civil rights laws. She urged that if Trump truly cared about religious freedom, he would address issues of antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and hate crimes against religious minorities.

Trump also announced plans for a new presidential commission on religious liberty and a new faith office in the White House led by the Rev. Paula White, a televangelist with a divisive interpretation of the Gospel.

During his remarks, Trump condemned the conviction of anti-abortion activist Paulette Harlow, who was sentenced to prison for blocking access to an abortion clinic. He granted her and other anti-abortion demonstrators pardons shortly after taking office.

Trump criticized the Justice Department, I.R.S., and F.B.I. for allegedly perpetrating religious persecution, aligning with claims by conservatives of a biased agenda against conservative Christians under the Biden administration.

Congressional Republicans have raised concerns about a 2023 F.B.I. memo stating that far-right extremists might be drawn to Catholic churches, leading to a contentious hearing with the F.B.I. director. While the F.B.I. has sought to develop sources within communities for decades, Republicans argue that the memo indicated targeting of Catholics.

The F.B.I. later retracted the memo, declaring that an internal investigation found no evidence of "malicious intent" behind its issuance.

Devlin Barrett contributed reporting.