The Trump administration appointed a televangelist to lead the new White House Faith Office this February. The move directly erodes the separation of church and state that has defined American democracy since its founding.
Nevertheless, religion has always played a key part, not only in the minds of the people but also in the minds of the great leaders of the United States.
Most American presidents have been raised with or have practiced Christianity in some form, reflecting the country’s demographics.
But in an era of unprecedented political shifts, religion has moved beyond personal belief into the machinery of government itself, influencing policies and laws that challenge the Constitution.
Faith inevitably has a role to play in politics as the foundation of many Americans’ values and ideas that influence legislation, but the extent to which it has grown is troubling.
The general idea of the separation of church and state has always been shaky at best, but in the 2024 election cycle, that blurred line disappeared as religious ideology became Republican strategy
As a candidate, President Donald Trump ran on economic betterment and mass deportations. As president, Trump has pursued these objectives while also governing with divisiveness that has appealed mainly to Christian nationalist voters.
A significant part of Trump’s return to the White House was his appeal to Christian nationalists.
Nearly 80% of Republican voters are made up of white evangelical Christians.
His promise to restore America to an idealized past has been central to his messaging.
But in his second campaign, his rhetoric intensified, going from criticizing Muslim voters and countries to actively supporting book bans in conservative states. The purging of “woke-proclaimed” books was especially concentrated in red-state military bases, removing Holocaust and Maya Angelou works.
This worked to align a Christian radical right-wing base as central to Trump’s platform like extremist legislation to cement Christian doctrine in schools.
Trump’s partnership with Christian organizations didn’t end when he got their vote, but continued all the way to the Oval Office.
The establishment of the White House Faith Office headed by televangelist Paula White-Cain in February of this year is the most heinous betrayal of a foundational American principle. Given that the Faith Office’s mission statement is to partner with and serve religious establishments, America’s long-upheld “separation of church and state” is in serious jeopardy.
This religious influence in the executive branch has already affected legislative and policy debates. For instance, people can use the excuse of religion pushing them to act a certain way, to get away with placing religious ideas or concepts on the executive branch.
When conservative Christianity asserts dominance in legislation, democracy itself is threatened. The Trump administration is undermining the principles essential to a functioning democracy.
Of course, faith remains important as a personal guide distanced from political power. But even as faith naturally shapes values and political beliefs, the extent to which organized religion has seeped into government crosses a constitutional line.
When the two become inseparable, they both cease to function properly.
A government that gets its authority from religion rather than the Constitution doesn’t serve the faithful or the American people. Reclaiming the separation of church and state isn’t an attack on religion, but a defense of democracy itself.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2025 print edition.
