Donald Trump read from the Old Testament on Tuesday in a taped message for a Bible-reading marathon, extending an olive branch to evangelical supporters after a week of religious controversy that included a clash with Pope Leo XIV and an AI image that depicted the former president as Jesus.
The president delivered the passage from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 from his desk in the Oval Office, with the presidential flag visible behind him. The verse calls on a nation's people to humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways so God will hear from heaven and heal their land. Great American Media, a Texas company focused on family and faith content, livestreamed the reading from Washington DC.
The event, called America Reads the Bible, was organized as a weeklong marathon by the Family Policy Alliance Foundation through its ministry Christians Engaged. Other Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, are expected to participate.
Bunni Pounds, founder of Christians Engaged, described the week as an opportunity to show how Scripture offers wisdom and healing. "There is so much in the Bible that can rescue us from depression and anxiety and can heal our inner cities and heal our land," she told Fox News Digital, suggesting the president's choice of passage was deliberate.
The timing of Trump's appearance underscores efforts to stabilize his relationship with religious voters after a turbulent stretch. Earlier this month, Trump's threat to wipe out Iranian civilization drew a sharp rebuke from Pope Leo XIV, who called the remarks "truly unacceptable." Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling the first American-born pontiff "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy" and suggesting he was elected through favor-seeking.
The dispute carries political weight. A recent Pew poll found that more than eight in ten American Catholics view Pope Leo favorably, complicating Republican strategy ahead of the 2026 midterms. The exchange also revived attention to Trump's upbringing in a Manhattan church whose pastor had opposed John F Kennedy's presidency because of Kennedy's Catholic faith.
Days before the Bible reading, Trump had also posted an AI-generated image appearing to show him as Jesus tending to a sick patient. Some conservative Christian supporters called the image blasphemous. When reporters asked about the post, which was later deleted, Trump claimed it depicted him as a doctor.
Despite inflammatory rhetoric over the years and a hush-payment scandal tied to a former adult film actress, evangelical Christians remain a crucial voting bloc for Trump. During his 2024 campaign, he promised to "bring back Christianity" and has increasingly entangled religious policy with state power. Last year, he created a Religious Liberty Commission to examine voluntary prayer in public schools and the free speech rights of pastors, among other issues. Dan Patrick, Texas's lieutenant governor and commission chair, recently labeled Democrats the "anti-God left."
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's Bible reading is classic damage control, but the question is whether his evangelical base believes his remorse extends beyond the cameras in the Oval Office."
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