President Donald Trump‘s brief tribute to Pope Francis on Monday has revived questions about his religious affiliation, particularly as some media outlets have suggested that Trump will attend the pope’s funeral.
While Trump’s ties to faith-based policies have long been evident, some believe his increasingly public religious rhetoric marks a shift from his earlier approach to religion.
On Easter Monday, Trump paid tribute to the pope, who died at 88 after a prolonged illness. Trump posted the tribute on his social media platform, Truth Social, writing: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Easter Statement and White House Faith Office Executive Order
In Christian faith, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday morning, before the pope’s death, Trump took to Truth Social with a post attacking judges, law enforcement and others, interspersed with wishes for a “happy Easter.”
“Happy Easter to all, Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country,” he wrote.
He also took aim at the judiciary, writing, “Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!”
Lastly, he turned to criticize former President Joe Biden for his “Open Borders Policy,” writing to all the targeted groups after his attacks that he wishes them “with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!”
In February, Trump established a White House Faith Office when he signed an executive order that created a task force aimed at eliminating what he describes as “anti-Christian bias” within the federal government. Paula White, televangelist and spiritual adviser, serves as the office’s senior adviser.
In his first week back in office, according to a press release, Trump pardoned a series of Christians and anti-abortion activists.
What To Know
Trump was confirmed into the Presbyterian Church and long identified as a mainline Protestant. But in an interview with Religion News Service in 2020, he said he identified as a nondenominational Christian, placing him among the largest and fastest-growing segments of American Protestantism.
His religious messaging has intensified since a failed assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. “God was watching me,” he said during the National Prayer Breakfast in February.
“And we have to make religion a much more important factor now,” he added later in the speech. “And if we do that, it’s going to be—our job is just going to be much easier. It unifies people. It brings people together. Democrats are going to be able to have lunch again and dinner with Republicans.”
What’s Next
The White House has not confirmed whether Trump will attend the funeral in Rome for Pope Francis, but some media outlets suggest he is expected to be there.
A nine-day mourning period has ensued following the death of the pope, a tradition dating back to Roman times.