U.S. News
Trump claims anti-Christian bias under Biden administration
By Jake Beardslee · December 24, 2023
In brief…
- Trump claimed Catholics and evangelicals face persecution under Biden, akin to Soviet-style targeting of religion.
- He alleged pro-life Catholics were arrested and FBI will infiltrate churches.
- Trump urged Catholics not to vote Democrat in 2024.
Former President Donald Trump launched dubious accusations against his potential 2024 election rival, President Joe Biden, claiming a Soviet-style persecution of Catholics is underway and that FBI undercover spies will soon infiltrate churches.
In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump alleged that under Biden, “Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted like nothing this nation has ever seen before.” He singled out Catholics as being “targeted”, and said evangelicals are “surely on the watch list.”
Trump referred to recent arrests of pro-life activists, likely meaning suspects like Mark Houck who was acquitted in January 2023 on federal charges. The former president claimed the arrests involved SWAT teams sent to arrest pro-life Catholics.
Trump also mentioned an FBI memo on “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” that was leaked and interpreted by some to mean the Justice Department is targeting Catholics. Attorney General Merrick Garland denied this claim.
In 2021, Trump had complained about losing Catholic voters in 2020 to Biden, who is just the second Catholic president after JFK. Trump said he “did a lot for the Catholics” and was surprised not to do better with their vote.
In the new video, Trump urged Catholics not to vote Democrat and promised a task force against “anti-Christian bias” in government, universities and corporations.