# Donald Trump and religion

Donald Trump was raised in his mother's Presbyterian faith; his father was a Lutheran. He attended Sunday school and was confirmed in 1959 at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica. He said in 2015 that he attends Marble Collegiate Church, a Reformed Christian congregation in Manhattan; the church said in a statement to CNN that he "is not an active member". He said that he was a Presbyterian and a Protestant in 2016.
A survey during Trump's first presidency showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he was religious, despite his professed Christian affiliation, and that only 44% of Americans believed that Trump was a Christian. Trump has stated that he has great relationships with Christian ministers. He has had a long association with Paula White, an evangelical minister whom he has called his "personal pastor". White delivered the invocation prayer at Trump's 2017 inauguration and joined the White House staff in 2019 to work on religious outreach issues.
In October 2020, Trump declared that he no longer identified as Presbyterian and was now a nondenominational Christian.
In 2015, Trump stated that his favorite book was the Bible; he declined to offer his favorite verse in the Bible, however, stating that it's "very personal". In 2016, he said his favorite verse was "An Eye for an Eye". In 2015, during the Family Leadership Summit Frank Luntz asked Trump if he ever asked God for forgiveness, Trump responded, "I'm not sure I have. I just go and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't."

## Trip to Israel

Although Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was raised as a Presbyterian, she converted to Orthodox Judaism in July 2009, after studying with Elie Weinstock from the Modern Orthodox Ramaz School, prior to her marriage to Jared Kushner in a Jewish ceremony. His daughter took the Hebrew name "Yael" (Hebrew: יָעֵל, lit. ''mountain goat' or ibex').
Ivanka and her husband made a pilgrimage to the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a popular prayer site, shortly before Donald Trump's election victory. In May 2017, the couple also accompanied Donald Trump on the latter's first official visit to Israel as president. As part of the trip to Israel, Donald Trump became the first incumbent U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

## After 2020

In 2024, Trump began to sell special editions of the King James Version of the Bible that contained copies of the founding documents of the United States, known as the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible. Trump has a personal collection of Bibles.
Trump has woven Christian religious imagery into his 2024 presidential campaign, characterizing it as a "righteous crusade" against "atheists, globalists and the Marxists". He stated that his aims included restoring the United States "as one nation under God with liberty and justice for all". Trump has stated that the United States is a "nation of believers". Trump's rallies take on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism. Trump maintains positive relations with the New Apostolic Reformation, whose figures promote pro-Trump policies and are influential within the Trump administration.
On January 21, 2025, Episcopal bishop Mariann Budde addressed Trump during an inaugural prayer service, asking him to show mercy to immigrants, refugees, and the LGBTQ community. After the service, Trump disparaged Budde as a "so-called Bishop" and a "radical Left hard line Trump hater", and demanded an apology from Budde and the Episcopal Church.
Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Trump stated: "God has now spared my life not once, but twice".
Trump has been critical of what he sees as a persecution of Christians. On February 6, following the National Prayer Breakfast, he signed an executive order to create a task force 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". Donald Trump appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the task force and appointed Paula White to direct the White House Faith Office.

## Faith as a Political Tool

Trump’s religious rhetoric has often been described as transactional, focusing more on reinforcing his image as a strong leader than on genuine spiritual beliefs. Unlike past U.S. presidents who openly discussed their personal spiritual struggles, Trump has largely avoided theological discussions, instead emphasizing success, power, and dominance. His reluctance to discuss themes of humility, repentance, or service—central to Christianity—has led some critics to argue that his faith is more of a political tool than a guiding principle.
His close association with leaders of the Prosperity Gospel movement, such as televangelist Paula White, further supports this perspective. The Prosperity Gospel equates wealth and success with divine favor, a message that aligns with Trump's self-presentation as a successful businessman and strong leader. Many evangelical leaders, including Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr., have defended Trump's moral failings by arguing that God can use imperfect people for His purposes, a justification that blends religious faith with political pragmatism.
Trump’s faith-based outreach has played a key role in securing evangelical support, despite his personal detachment from many core Christian teachings. His policies and judicial appointments have solidified his status as a champion of evangelical political interests, even as critics argue that his engagement with Christianity is more performative than sincere.