Donald Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 on Tuesday in a video message recorded in the White House Oval Office, joining a Bible-reading event billed as a celebration of the United States’ founding. The presidential flag stood behind him as he delivered the passage for America Reads the Bible, a weeklong marathon livestreamed from Washington, D.C.
Trump read the Old Testament passage that says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The event’s website described it as a sacred opportunity to call our nation back to its spiritual foundation, and organizers said other Trump administration officials, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, were expected to take part during the week.
The Bible reading came after fresh scrutiny of Trump from some of his religious supporters, who had already raised eyebrows over an AI-generated image that appeared to show him as Jesus. Some conservatives called the image blasphemous, while Trump said he believed the deleted post was meant to portray him as a doctor. The timing also followed a public clash with Pope Leo XIV, who called Trump’s remarks truly unacceptable after Trump said on 12 April that the pope was weak on crime, terrible for foreign policy and had been elected so the conclave could curry favor with him.
The setting was no accident. America Reads the Bible was organized by the Family Policy Alliance Foundation through its ministry, Christians Engaged, and the foundation has pushed to defund abortion providers and restrict transgender medical care. Bunni Pounds, echoing the event’s stated purpose, said organizers were making a statement that the Bible can offer wisdom, discernment and healing for families and communities, and added that Trump’s choice of scripture carried that message forward.
Trump had already been pressing a hard line in early April, when he threatened to wipe out Iranian civilization as he pushed Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The Bible reading placed him before a religious audience at a moment when more than eight in 10 American Catholics had reason to watch his words closely, and when his public posture toward faith leaders was under sharper scrutiny than usual. The message was simple: he was not just speaking about faith, he was trying to claim it.
