President Donald Trump is making a dramatic display of religiosity just days after posting an image on social media that many Christians found offensive.
Organizers of the event said Friday that a recording of Trump reading a verse from the Old Testament will be released next week as part of the Biblical celebration.
The president’s reading, which has already been recorded, will be part of an 84-hour public presentation at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, in which about 500 readers will study scripture from Genesis to Revelation for eight days.
Trump’s nearly two-and-a-half-minute reading, which is scheduled to air Tuesday, comes after one of his social media posts angered many Christians in which he portrayed Jesus as Jesus and feuded publicly with Pope Leo.
Christian Engaged founder and Bible program organizer Bunnie Pounds welcomed the president’s participation and declined to dwell on the controversy – although he said the president’s reading could be relevant.
“This is a scripture about repentance,” Pounds said. “None of us are perfect.”
The president’s text, Second Chronicles 7:14, is one of the most frequently used verses in American public religious life, calling on believers to “humble yourselves, and pray, and seek my face… and turn from your wicked ways.”
White House on Friday issued a statement Tying the initiative to the broader scope of American history, it emphasized the Bible’s “indelible” role in shaping the nation’s identity. The statement points to figures such as John Winthrop and Abraham Lincoln, and presents it as part of a larger commemoration of 250 years of Biblical influence in America.
Pounds described the initiative as an effort to bring leaders and citizens together in shared reflection, saying, “We needed a moment like this in our country today.” “I believe it is historic that a sitting president has read a long section of scripture with no commentary surrounding it.”
In addition to the president, the lineup includes several Cabinet officials and Republican lawmakers, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wills; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins; Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum; and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
