Former President Donald Trump has pledged to give faith leaders direct access to him in the Oval Office if he wins the upcoming election.
Addressing the audience last Monday at the National Faith Summit in Powder Springs, Georgia, Trump promised to reinstate the Faith Office that he initially established during his first term, underscoring the essential role of religion in the nation.
In response to a question from moderator Paula White-Cain about what a faith office might entail in a potential second Trump administration, he revealed plans for a direct line to the Oval Office.
“First of all, we're going to set that up, and we'll be talking to you and all of the people that we just met, and anybody else that you think is appropriate as well,” Trump stated. “It's important, and it'll be directly into the Oval Office.”
White-Cain, who oversaw the faith office during Trump’s final year in office, reiterated his commitment, saying, “If you just heard what the president said, [the] faith office will be in the Oval Office in the White House and directly reporting to him, because that, to him, is one of the most important things to people is that we remain strong in all of our faiths.”
Last month, Trump’s campaign announced that Dr. Benjamin Carson, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, would serve as national faith chairman. In the campaign announcement, Trump asserted, “Kamala Harris and the radical left have waged war on America’s faith community since the day they took office. Her selection of Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential nominee solidifies their commitment to intensifying those efforts.”
“Ben Carson, a man of unwavering faith, is the perfect person to work with leaders of the faith community on behalf of the campaign to promote the protection of religious freedom and prosperity in our country. Nobody was a bigger champion for the faith community than me,” he added.
Carson expressed his honor in accepting the role, stating, “I’m honored to serve as his national faith chairman and will work diligently with the faith community to get him elected.”
Last December, Trump announced plans to create a task force aimed at combating anti-Christian bias, emphasizing that the task force would focus on investigating “all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment and persecution against Christians in America.”
He remarked, “They are going after Christians. Americans of faith are not a threat to our country. Americans of faith are the soul of our country and they have been from the beginning.”
