‘Anti-Christian bias’ in US government to be tackled by new taskforce ‘Anti-Christian bias’ in US government to be tackled by new taskforce: Trump

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a taskforce to root out ‘anti-Christian bias’ in government.

US President Donald Trump bows his head during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on Thursday. Picture: AFP

US President Donald Trump has unveiled a taskforce to root out “anti-Christian bias” in government, accusing predecessor Joe Biden of “persecuting” Christians during his presidency.

Mr Trump announced a string of initiatives on Thursday (Friday AEDT), including a presidential commission on religious liberty and a White House “faith office”.

Led by Attorney-General Pam Bondi, the new taskforce would be directed to “immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government”, Mr Trump said.

“They were terrible to people of religion,” Mr Trump said of his predecessor, a practising Catholic.

Addressing members of congress at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Mr Trump said that his relationship with his faith had “changed” since he survived two assassination attempts during last year’s election campaign. He urged Americans to “bring God back” into their lives.

“It changed something in me, I feel even stronger – I believed in God but I feel much more strongly about it,” Mr Trump said. He drew laughs from Republican members when he voiced gratitude that the shooting “didn’t affect my After appealing for political unity on Capitol Hill, the President struck a more partisan tone in his second address at a Washington hotel.

He savaged the Biden administration for prosecuting anti-abortion activists, claiming that the justice system had been “weaponised against Christians”.

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during the National Prayer Breakfast at the US Capitol in Washington, on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump also hailed his strong support among evangelical Christians in the 2024 election.

While repeating his false claim that his 2020 defeat to Mr Biden was rigged, he said he was thankful to be serving his second term over the next four years because he will now be President when the US hosts the Olympics and the World Cup. “God works in mysterious ways,” he said.

Mr Trump and his administration have already clashed with religious leaders since he took office. The President demanded an apology after the Right Reverand Mariann Edgar Budde used her sermon to appeal for mercy towards illegal migrants and the LGBTQ community at a service held the day after his inauguration.

Mr Trump attacked Ms Budde’s comments as “nasty” and dismissed her as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater”.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” he posted on social media.

The Times