Trump Issues Message to Christians Celebrating Pentecost

The White House today posted a Presidential Message on Pentecost, 2025 (Full text). The Message reads in part:

Today, I join in prayer with Christians joyfully celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—one of the most sacred events of the Christian faith. We commemorate the fulfillment of Jesus Christ’s earthly mission and the birth of His holy and living Church....

As we celebrate this glorious feast day, we also honor all Christians who, like the Apostles, have willingly endured persecution because of their faith.  My Administration will always defend the right of every American to worship God freely and without fear.  For this reason, I created the White House Faith Office and proudly instituted the White House Religious Liberty Commission to safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom.  Under my leadership, we are protecting God in the public square and emboldening every believer to live their faith freely, openly, and without threat of persecution....

Members of Religious Liberty Commission Advisory Boards Named

As previously reported, earlier this month President Trump issued an Executive Order creating a Religious Liberty Commission.  Members of the Commission were also named at that time. Now (May 16), the White House has announced names of members of three Advisory Boards to the Commission: an Advisory Board of Religious Leaders, an Advisory Board of Legal Experts, and an Advisory Board of Lay Leaders. The Board of Religious Leaders and the Board of Legal Experts each includes Catholic, Protestant and Jewish representation. The Board of Lay Leaders includes Protestant and Muslim representation.

Trump Issues Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month began May 1. On May 16, President Trump issued a Proclamation (full text) formally declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month. The Proclamation reads in part:

Since the day I resumed my duties as President — and following President Washington’s example — my Administration has been determined to confront anti-Semitism in all its manifestations.  I say that at home and abroad, on college campuses and in city streets, this dangerous return of anti-Semitism — at times disguised as anti-Zionism, Holocaust denialism, and false equivalencies of every kind — must find no quarter.

We proudly celebrate the history and culture of the Jewish people in America, and we hold that President Washington’s words, though nearly 250 years old, still carry the revolutionary promise of our Republic:  that every citizen who demeans himself as a good citizen shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree — a covenant added to a blessing.

I believe there has never been a greater friend to the Jewish people than my Administration.  We will never deviate from our conviction that anti-Semitism has no place in the greatest country in the world.  As the 47th President of the United States, I will use every appropriate legal tool at my disposal to stop anti-Semitic assaults gripping our universities.  We will proudly stand with our friend and ally, the State of Israel.  I will never waver in my commitment.

President Trump Congratulates New Pope

In a message posted yesterday on Truth Social and X, President Trump congratulated newly elected Pope Leo XIV, saying:

Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!

Catholic Leaders Criticize Trump Over AI Picture of Him as Pope

An unusual conflict between the President of the United States and Catholic leaders has surfaced.  It began last Wednesday with what, according to National Catholic Reporter, was seen as a humorous remark by President Trump to reporters:

"I'd like to be pope. That would be my number one choice," the president joked, before endorsing his friend, New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan for the Catholic Church's top job.

Then on Friday, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account and his X (formerly Twitter) account this AI generated photo of himself dressed as the Pope. It was also re-posted on the White House's X (formerly Twitter) account.

According to National Catholic Reporter in an article today:

U.S. President Donald Trump is facing a firestorm of criticism from leaders of the Roman Catholic Church after posting on social media a computer-generated image of himself as pope in full papal regalia as Catholics worldwide continue to mourn Pope Francis....

On social media, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, said Trump owes an apology to Catholics.

"This is deeply offensive to Catholics especially during this sacred time that we are still mourning the death of Pope Francis and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the election of our new Pope," Paprocki wrote.

Paprocki quoted a Bible verse from Galatians that admonishes, "God is not mocked." He said, "By publishing a picture of himself masquerading as the Pope, President Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy."

The New York State Catholic Conference said on X there is "nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us."

In Rome, Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was stopped by reporters and asked about it. "I hope he didn’t have anything to do with that," Dolan said in a video posted on social media by a multimedia journalist for the New York Archdiocese. 

"Are you offended by that?" a journalist asked. 

Dolan paused and replied, "It wasn’t good." He repeated that in Italian for Roman journalists and laughed nervously....

A Catholic News Service article quoting Cardinal Dolan was posted today on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

President Trump Issues Executive Order Creating a Religious Liberty Commission

Yesterday, President Trump issued an Executive Order (full text) establishing a Religious Liberty Commission. According to the Executive Order:

The Commission shall advise the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on religious liberty policies of the United States.  Specific activities of the Commission shall include, to the extent permitted by law, recommending steps to secure domestic religious liberty by executive or legislative actions as well as identifying opportunities for the White House Faith Office to partner with the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to further the cause of religious liberty around the world.

The Executive Order also calls for the President to appoint 3 Advisory Boards to advise members of the Commission-- an advisory board of religious leaders, an advisory board of lay leaders, and an advisory board of legal experts. The White House also issued a Fact Sheet (full text) summarizing the Commission's role, saying in part:

The Commission is tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.

Key focus areas include parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy....

The Executive Order was signed at a White House National Day of Prayer Event (video of event).

Chairman of the Commission is Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Vice-Chair is Dr Ben Carson.  Other members of the Commission as announced in a press release by Lt. Gov. Patrick are:  Ryan Anderson, Bishop Robert Barron, Carrie Boller, Cardinal Timothy Dolan (Archbishop of New York), Rev. Franklin Graham, Allyson Ho, Dr. Phil McGraw, Eric Metaxas, Kelly Shackelford, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and Pastor Paula White. In addition, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Scott Turner (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), and Vince Haley (Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy) are ex officio members of the Commission.

Catholic News Agency reports on the creation of the Commission.

UPDATE: President Trump also issued a National Day of Prayer Proclamation, declaring May 1 as a National Day of Prayer.

Trump Administration Fires 5 Last-Minute Biden Appointees to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council

The Trump Administration has dismissed five Biden appointees who were serving 5-year terms on the 68-member United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Those dismissed were among 12 individuals appointed to vacancies on the Council by President Biden just days before his term of office ended. The Council serves as the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The highest profile dismissal was that of Doug Emhoff, former First Gentleman who took a prominent role in fighting antisemitism during the Biden Administration. CNN reports on additional firings:

Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain; Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to former first lady Jill Biden; Jennifer Klein, a former director of the White House Gender Policy Council; and Susan Rice, who served as a domestic policy adviser to Joe Biden and helped develop his administration’s strategy to combat antisemitism, were among the other Biden appointees who were fired from the board, sources familiar with the matter said....

Not all Biden-era appointees have received emails notifying them of their dismissal, according to one Biden appointee who sits on the board.

DOJ Hosts First Meeting of Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias

 A Department of Justice press release reports that yesterday the DOJ hosted the inaugural meeting of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.  The Task Force was created by an Executive Order of President Trump. Yesterday's press release described the Task Force meeting, saying in part:

The witnesses included:

Michael Farris: First Amendment Litigator and Founding President of Patrick Henry College. Farris spoke on behalf of Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick to discuss how Cornerstone Church was under investigation and charged by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for so-called Johnson Amendment violations....

Dr. Scott Hicks: Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Liberty University. Hicks described how Liberty University and Grand Canyon University were singled out by the Biden Administration for fines due to the schools’ Christian worldview.

Phil Mendes: Navy Seal. Mendes was relieved of duty during Biden Administration for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious exemption requests that were denied by the Department of Defense.

 “As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this Task Force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”

Additionally, members of the Task Force highlighted specific cases within their own agencies where the Biden Administration unfairly and harshly punished Christian Americans for their religious beliefs.

UPDATE: The DOJ has posted video of opening remarks at the meeting by Attorney General Bam Bondi and  Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

President Responds to Death of Pope Francis

President Trump issued a Proclamation (full text) yesterday ordering flags to be flown at half-staff on the day of the late Pope Francis' funeral. The President announced yesterday on Truth Social that he and the First Lady will attend the Pope's funeral in Rome.

President Issues Holy Week Message, Promising to Defend Christian Faith in Schools and Government Facilities

Yesterday, the White House issued a Presidential Message on Holy Week, 2025 (full text). The President said in part:

During this sacred week, we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross.  In His final hours on Earth, Christ willingly endured excruciating pain, torture, and execution on the cross out of a deep and abiding love for all His creation.  Through His suffering, we have redemption.  Through His death, we are forgiven of our sins.  Through His Resurrection, we have hope of eternal life.  On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness—signaling that death does not have the final word.

This Holy Week, my Administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government.  We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square.

President Sends Passover Greetings on YouTube

On Saturday, President Trump on a YouTube post sent Passover greetings to the Jewish people in America, Israel, and around the world. He said in part:

The story of Exodus, which is retold around the globe and all over the world at every Passover Seder, is a reminder not only of the enduring strength of the Jewish people, but of the importance of putting our faith in Almighty God no matter what the circumstance.

Passover began at sundown on Saturday night.

Trump Selects Antisemitism and International Religious Freedom Ambassadors

President Trump announced yesterday on Truth Social that he is nominating Yehuda Kaploun as the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ambassador-at-Large. According to The Forward:

Trump’s announcement elicited a wave of sharply antisemitic comments on the social network....

Kaploun is affiliated with Chabad, the Orthodox movement, and was a fundraiser and surrogate for Trump during last year’s campaign.....

Kaploun is replacing Deborah Lipstadt.

Trump also announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he is nominating former Congressman Mark Walker as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. In his own post on X, Walker expressed his thanks to Trump, saying in part:

As a former minister, along with serving in Congressional leadership, I'm open-eyed to the bad actors and regions committing these atrocities against people of faith.

Both Kaploun's and Walker's nominations are required to be confirmed by the Senate. The White House has not indicated on its website that the nominations have yet been formally submitted to the Senate.

Fired EEOC Commissioner Sues President

Yesterday, former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels filed suit alleging that her removal from the Commission by President Trump was illegal. The removal of Samuels and a second Commissioner (both Democrats) left the EEOC without a quorum so that it cannot undertake any action that requires a Commission vote. Samuels, along with two other Democratic commissioners, had issued statements critical of President Trump's Executive Orders on DEI programs, transgender individuals and employment discrimination by federal contractors. The complaint (full text) in Samuels v. Trump, (D DC, filed 4/9/2025), alleges in part:

Congress did not grant the president authority to remove EEOC Commissioners at will.  Rather, the EEOC’s structure, mission, and functions, along with the terms set for Commissioners, demonstrate Congress’s intent to provide the Commission continuity, stability, and insulation from political pressure exerted by the president.  Because the Commissioners perform predominantly quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative functions, these restrictions on the president’s removal authority are constitutional....

Defendant Trump lacked cause to remove Commissioner Samuels.  The issues he identified in his January 27, 2025, email constitute policy disagreements between him and Commissioner Samuels.  By mandating bi-partisan membership on the Commission, Congress deliberately structured the agency to accommodate likely policy differences between the president and some Commissioners....

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws barring employment discrimination, including religious discrimination in employment. The Hill reports on the lawsuit.

Court Enjoins Implementation of Ban on Transgender Individuals Serving in the Military

In Talbott v. United States, (D DC, March 18, 2025), the United States federal district court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction barring the military from implementing Executive Orders and military memoranda that exclude transgender persons from serving in the military. The injunction requires the military to maintain the pre-Trump status quo on military service by transgender individuals. Explaining its decision, the court's 79-page opinion said in part:

The Court agrees that “courts [are] ill-equipped to determine the impact upon discipline that any particular intrusion upon military authority might have” and that “the military authorities [not courts] have been charged by the Executive and Legislative Branches with carrying out our Nation’s military policy.”... Often, courts accept “the reasoned, professional analysis of Congress and the Executive on matters strictly within the realm of military expertise.”...   

Defendants carry deference too far, however.  By “defer” they basically mean the Court must side with the military’s position, end-stop.  And they contend the Court must defer even if the judgment, as here, does not make sense....

The Court ... applies Bostock’s reasoning to analyze the Military Ban.  In doing so, it does not “import[] the Title VII test for liability,” ... into the equal protection guarantee of the Fifth Amendment.  Rather, it borrows Justice Gorsuch’s reasoning to conclude that transgender discrimination is a form of sex discrimination for purposes of the equal protection inquiry....

... [B]ecause the Military Ban targets transgender persons for disparate treatment, it creates an explicit sex-based classification that requires application of intermediate scrutiny. ...

The court also concluded that the Military Ban is subject to intermediate scrutiny because transgender persons should be considered a quasi-suspect class. The court went on:

Defendants have articulated important government objectives in military readiness, unit cohesion, and saving costs.  But the Fifth Amendment requires more than pointing to such “broadly formulated interests.”...  Defendants must show that the discriminatory Military Ban is in some way substantially related to the achievement of those objectives.  And they must do so without relying on “overbroad generalizations about the different talents, capacities, or preferences of males and females.” ... They do not come close.  Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the Military Ban fails intermediate scrutiny review.....

The Military Ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext.  Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.  Thus, even if the Court analyzed the Military Ban under rational basis review, it would fail....

The Court could stop here in its analysis and comfortably conclude that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the Military Ban is motivated by animus and is not tailored to meet its stated goals.  But, as they say, there is more, for the Military Ban does not stand alone.  President Trump has signed an executive order recognizing the existence of only two sexes; blocked schools from using federal funds to promote the idea that gender can be fluid; directed the State Department to stop issuing documents that allow a third “X” gender marker; changed references to “LGBTQI+” on government websites to “LGB,” erasing not just transgender persons, but intersex people as well; revoked the ability of transgender federal employees to receive gender-affirming care; and directed that all incarcerated transgender persons be denied medical treatments and be housed by birth sex, where they are nine times more susceptible to violence....

NPR reports on the decision.

Trump Nominates Brian Burch as Ambassador to the Vatican

Yesterday, President Donald Trump formally submitted to Congress the nomination of Brian Burch to be U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Burch is President of CatholicVote. According to Catholic News Agency, last December Trump announced on Truth Social that he intended to nominate Burch for the position. CNA's report in December said in part:

CatholicVote is a political advocacy group that endorsed Trump in January and ran advertisements in support the president-elect during his campaign. According to CatholicVote, the organization spent over $10 million on the 2024 elections.

Trump Issues Ash Wednesday Greetings

Today the White House released an Ash Wednesday Message (full text) from President Trump and the First Lady. The Message reads in part:

This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent—a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ....

As we solemnly contemplate Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross this Lent, let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle.

We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season....

Court Enjoins Cutoff of Funds to Institutions Offering Gender-Affirming Care to Minors

In PFLAG, Inc. v. Trump, (D MD, March 4, 2025), a Maryland federal district court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcement of provisions in two Executive Orders that threaten to cut off federal funding to medical institutions that offer gender-affirming care to individuals under 19 years of age.  The court found that plaintiffs are likely to succeed on three claims, saying in part:

Because the Executive Orders direct agencies to withhold funding on a condition that Congress has not authorized, the President has exceeded his authority. The Plaintiffs have thus sufficiently shown likelihood of success on the merits of their ultra vires claim that the Executive Orders violate the separation of powers....

Plaintiffs accurately note that the Executive Orders foist upon hospitals receiving federal funds an impossible choice: (I) keep providing medical care to transgender patients under the age of nineteen in compliance with the anti-discrimination statutes and risk losing federal funding under the Executive Orders, or (2) stop providing care on the basis of trans gender identity in violation of the statutes, but in compliance with the EOs. Because the challenged portions of the Executive Orders are facially discriminatory on the basis of transgender identity, and therefore sex under Kadel and Bostock, in violation of Section 1557 of the ACA and Section 1908 of the PHSA, the Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their ultra vires statutory claim....

Guided and bound by Fourth Circuit's analysis in Kadel, and with a barer record than the one before the Fourth Circuit there, the Court is compelled to find that the Executive Orders' effective ban on all gender-affirming care for those under nineteen by federally funded institutions is not substantially related to the important government interest of protecting children. As such, Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their Equal Protection claim....

Last month, the court issued a nation-wide temporary restraining order in the case. (See prior posting.)  ACLU issued a press release announcing yesterday's decision.

Trump Issues Ramadan Greetings

On Monday, The White House posted President Trump's Message on Ramadan (full text), saying in part:

As millions of Muslim Americans begin their Ramadan observances, my Administration recommits to upholding religious liberty that is such an integral part of the American way of life.  Above all, we renew our resolve to building a future of peace, and to recognizing the dignity imprinted on every human soul.

This Ramadan, I offer my best wishes for a season of joyous reflection on God’s endless grace and infinite love.  May God bless you and your families during this wondrous season.

Court Issues TRO Barring Cutoff of Funds to Institutions Offering Gender-Affirming Care to Minors

In PFLAG, Inc. v. Trump, (D MD, Feb. 14, 2025), a Maryland federal district court set out its reasons for issuing a nation-wide temporary restraining order barring enforcement of the sections of two Executive Orders that prohibit federal funding for institutions that provide gender affirming care for patients under 19 years of age. At issue are provisions in Executive Order 14168, titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government and in Executive Order 14187, titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation. The court said in part:

Defendants admit in the very first line of their response in opposition to the motion for a TRO that the President "issued two Executive Orders directing agencies to take steps, as permitted by law, to condition certain federal grant funding on his policy preferences."23 ECF 55, at 3. This is a clear violation of the Constitution as "attempt[s] [by the Executive Branch] to place new conditions on federal funds [are] an improper attempt to wield Congress's exclusive spending power and is a violation of the Constitution's separation of powers principles."....

Because the challenged portions of the Executive Orders are facially discriminatory on the basis of transgender identity, and therefore sex under Kadel and Bostock, in violation of Section 1557 of the ACA and Section 1908 of the PHSA, the Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their ultra vires statutory claim....

Defendants assert that the challenged portions of the Executive Orders are based on the important government interest of "protecting the physical and emotional well-being of youth."...  Defendants assert that the Orders are substantially related to this important government interest because "[ e ]vidence. abounds that treatments covered by the Protecting Children EO 'are dangerous and ineffective."'... Though Defendants might well have support for this argument, the en banc Fourth Circuit in Kadel rejected a similar claim by noting that "those criticisms do not support the notion that gender-dysphoria treatments are ineffective so much as still developing."... Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their Equal Protection claim....

AP reports on the decision.

Trump Establishes White House Faith Office

Last Friday, President Trump issued an Executive Order (full text) establishing the White House Faith Office. The White House also issued a Fact Sheet summarizing the President's Executive Order and related initiatives.  The Executive Order comes less than three weeks after President Trump as part of an earlier Executive Order (full text) titled Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions revoked President Biden's Executive Order (full text) that created a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. President Trump's new Executive Order reads in part:

The executive branch wants faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities.  The efforts of faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship are essential to strengthening families and revitalizing communities, and the Federal Government welcomes opportunities to partner with such organizations through innovative, measurable, and outcome-driven initiatives.

The executive branch is committed to ensuring that all executive departments and agencies ... honor and enforce the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty and to ending any form of religious discrimination by the Federal Government.

The President also announced the following appointments to the White House Faith Office:  Pastor Paula White-Cain as a Special Government Employee and Senior Advisor to the Office; Jennifer S. Korn as a Deputy Assistant to the President and Faith Director of the Office; and Jackson Lane as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Faith Engagement.

The Hill reports on the President's action. Wikipedia traces the history of similar offices in successive Administrations since that of George W. Bush. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]