President Donald Trump has said he’ll make American Christians safe again.
But are they really under threat?
That’s the question driving the debate on the new Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, which Trump launched with an executive order on Feb. 6.
The order blames former President Joe Biden for rising animosity toward American Christians, then promises to thoroughly protect these people of faith moving forward.
“The task force will work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide,” Trump wrote in the order.
Supporters of the task force say it will right the wrongs of the past, while opponents fear it will deepen faith-based divides.
Both groups agree that it will shape Trump’s approach to religious freedom in his second term, as well as his religion-related legacy.
Here’s what you should know about the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, which will be part of the federal government for at least the next two years.
What is the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias?
The new task force’s mission is made clear by its name: It will work to end anti-Christian discrimination, especially in government policies and programs.
“It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government,” the executive order said.
On a more granular level, the task force will review the work of government agencies and the text of religion-related federal rules “to identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices or conduct,” according to the order.
Task force members will consult with people of faith across the country to determine which aspects of religious liberty law need to be clarified or strengthened.
Why is the task force controversial?
There is disagreement over the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias for one key reason: Religious freedom experts do not agree on whether U.S. Christians are under attack.
Opponents of the new task force believe Christians are already better protected than other faith groups because Christianity is the majority religion in the U.S. and because powerful bodies like the Supreme Court are generally responsive to Christians' concerns.
They say that the legal scales are tipped in favor of Christians and that focusing more attention on them will make religious freedom laws less popular.
“If Trump really cared about religious freedom and ending religious persecution, he’d be addressing antisemitism in his inner circle, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes against people of color and other religious minorities,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in a statement.
Supporters of the task force, meanwhile, applaud Trump for recognizing that the religious freedom landscape is unsettled and that Christians need help navigating conflicts between religious liberty and other laws, like nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community.
They argue that Supreme Court victories don’t make up for the years Christian adoption agencies, charities, businesses and individuals spent in legal limbo under recent Democratic administrations.
The executive order on the task force claimed that the Biden administration repeatedly sided against religious freedom when it came into conflict with other policy priorities, like expanded abortion access and LGBTQ rights, and failed to protect religious organizations that work on college campuses and in the foster care system.
The task force is necessary in order to identify and terminate Biden-era policies that harmed Christians, the order said.
“My administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians,” Trump wrote.
What’s Trump’s record on religious freedom?
The executive order on the task force has much in common with Trump’s previous religious freedom moves.
Over the course of his first term, it became clear that he was willing to make bold faith-related change, and just as clear that he wasn’t worried about ruffling feathers.
“You could listen to some of things Trump said or the ways he said them and take a lot of offense if you stopped there. But if you actually dove into what was happening in various areas, you’d find a quite different tale,” said Stanley Carlson-Thies, founder and senior director of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, to the Deseret News last fall.
Carlson-Thies noted that, during his first term, Trump appointed several officials who took religious freedom seriously and who championed policy moves that benefitted minority faith groups in addition to Christians.
Something similar could happen with the new task force. It’s likely that its recommendations related to guidelines for church-state partnerships or security at houses of worship will boost protections for non-Christian religious organizations, too.
Who runs the task force?
The executive order explains that the attorney general will lead the task force.
Attorney General Pam Bondi will be joined by top leaders from across the federal government, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
What about the Rev. Paula White-Cain?
The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias does not include the Christian pastors in Trump’s orbit, who have repeatedly prayed with him in the Oval Office and at campaign events.
Some of those religious leaders are instead working for the White House Faith Office, a separate but similar organization.
The faith office, which Trump established with an executive order on Feb. 7, will work with federal agencies and faith groups to facilitate church-state partnerships.
One of its goals will be to make the government’s work more effective by drawing on religious organization’s resources and wisdom.
“Faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship have tremendous ability to serve individuals, families, and communities through means that are different from those of government and with capacity and effectiveness that often exceeds that of government. These organizations lift people up, keep families strong, and solve problems at the local level,” the executive order says.
An office focused on faith-based partnerships has been part of every administration since former President George W. Bush established a White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives in 2001.
Is the task force permanent?
The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias currently has a two-year mandate.
The executive order says that it will terminate in February 2027 unless the president decides to issue an extension.