Former President Donald Trump, with his spiritual adviser and televangelist Paula White at the lead, announced the new National Faith Advisory Board last Thursday.
According to Religion News Service, White, who oversees the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, stated that the new National Faith Advisory Board will comprise "70 executives." She also cited Trump's religious advisory board's "unprecedented victories, influence, and access" to Christian organizations throughout his presidency.
During the conference call, Trump said that defending religious freedom was one of his "greatest honors."
"One of my greatest honors was fighting for religious liberty and for defending the Judeo-Christian values and principles of our nation's founding," he said.
"A lot of things have happened and a lot of things have happened with respect to faith and religion and they're not good things. They are not good, they're not good at all," Trump said.
Donald Trump participated in a prayer call today announcing the launch of the National Faith Advisory Board Coalition, a group started by Paula White. Predictably, he opened things up on this *prayer call* by complaining about the election. pic.twitter.com/XojC0ornDI
"” Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) September 2, 2021
He made a point of mentioning that "everyone on this call made a critical contribution to our movement over the past five years" then made some passing remarks on the November election outcome.
"And we've had tremendous success and then we had a horrendous result to an election that was won," he said. "We won that election and now numbers are coming out that are shocking to people and it's a shame."
According to Jewish news publication The Forward, the new advisory board will "organize regular conference calls and events with prominent leaders in the coming months."
Prior to the call last Thursday, Jenny Korn and Amanda Robbins Vargo, who worked in the Trump White House's Office of Public Liaison, wrote an email to religious organizations condemning the Biden administration for promoting an "anti-faith agenda," said the report.
"We are seeing all our hard work being unraveled by the new administration and their anti-faith agenda," the email said. "We will protect our religious freedoms here and abroad, in order to worship and live according to our faith."
At the conclusion of the meeting, White informed participants that monthly calls will be held and to check things out for "instruction."
"Thank you for this unity coalition that has always had such influence and power to move things," she added. "We are in a great battle, but I sense we have the ability to bring some great victories."
RNS reports that Trump was a Presbyterian turned non-denominational Christian towards the conclusion of his term in office. When questioned about his faith in God, he replied,
"It's all based around God - it's so important. God is so important to the success of what we're doing. Because without God, we have nothing."
The Christian Post noted that the former President voiced dismay at Catholic and Jewish voters, claiming that both communities had a lot of support during his term.
In response to the Catholic vote, Trump said, "so we'll have to talk to them. We're going to have to meet with the Catholics."
In light of his low performance among Jewish voters, the former president suggested that the religious community as a whole needed to come together.
"Look what I did with the embassy in Jerusalem and what I did with so many other things ... Israel has never had a better friend, and yet I got 25% of the vote," Trump remarked. "I think they have to get together. There has to be a little bit more unity with the religious groups all represented on this call."
