President Donald Trump announced at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that he will sign an executive order instructing the Justice Department to create a new task force to "eradicate anti-Christian bias."
Trump praised new Attorney General Pam Bondi as a "great person," saying she would lead the new task force.
"About time, right? Anti-Christian bias. Yeah, I never heard of that one before, right? But there is," Trump said. "The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible. The IRS, the FBI, terrible, and other agencies."
The president said the task force will also "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."
"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, and we will bring our country back together as one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all," Trump said. "Throughout history, those who have sought control and domination over others have always tried to cut the people off from the connection to their creator. At the same time, every nation with big dreams and great ambition has recognized that there is no recourse more precious than the faith in the hearts of our people. It's the thing that makes our nation great and makes other nations great. When you don't have it, you don't see great nations. Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scripture tells us, all things are possible," Trump said.
Fox News Digital is told that Trump will sign the executive order Thursday afternoon to "end the war on Christians" and protect Americans’ "fundamental right to religious freedom."
The White House said what will be known as the "Task Force to End the War on Christians" will be comprised of members of the president’s Cabinet and key government agencies, and the order seeks to "end the anti-Christian weaponization of government."
The White House told Fox News Digital that the task force will review activities of all departments and agencies to "identify and eliminate anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct." The task force will also gather input from various stakeholders to ensure "broad perspectives are considered," including faith-based organizations and Americans affected by "anti-Christian conduct."
The task force is also directed to identify and address gaps in law enforcement that have "contributed" to that conduct.
The executive order will also ensure that federal law enforcement remedy any "failures" to fully enforce the law against acts of anti-Christian hostility, vandalism and violence.
"The previous administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses," the White House said.
"President Trump will not tolerate this abuse of government and is taking action to ensure that any unlawful and improper anti-Christian conduct, policies or practices are identified, terminated, and rectified."
The executive order comes after nearly two dozen pro-life Christians were charged and sentenced for demonstrating outside abortion facilities during the Biden administration.
It also comes after an FBI memo asserted that traditional Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as "threat mitigation." The House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government first discovered and investigated that memo.
Speaking at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Trump invoked his own faith in discussing the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"Well, look at me. I'm standing before you today. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be here. A lot of people said I shouldn't have been here," Trump said.
"It was God that saved me," Trump added, garnering applause.
Earlier, the president spoke at another prayer breakfast Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, where he announced that he would sign an executive order to create a new national park called the "National Garden of American Heroes."
"The stories of legends like Washington, Winthrop, and Williams remind us that without faith in God, there would be no American story," Trump said. "Every citizen should be proud of this exceptional heritage. We have an unbuilt, livable heritage, and we have to use that and make life better for everyone."
As the United States approached the 250th anniversary of its founding next year, Trump said he would sign an executive order to "resume the process of creating a new national park full of statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived."
"We're going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people from our country," Trump said. "We're not going to be tearing down. We're going to be building up."
Trump also remembered the 67 lives lost during the fatal midair collisionbetween a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet landing at Reagan airport in D.C. last week. The president said he would be speaking with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to come together on a "single bill" to upgrade U.S. air traffic control systems in the wake of the disaster.
"It would have just never happened if we had the right equipment," Trump said. "When I land in my plane privately, I use a system from another country because my captain tells me – I'm landing in New York and I'm using a system. I won't tell you what country, but I use a system from another country – because the captain says, 'This thing is so bad, it's so obsolete,' and we can't have that. So we're going to have the best system."
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