Trump pledges access for faith leaders 'directly into the Oval Office' if elected
Former President Donald Trump has promised to provide faith leaders with direct access to him in the Oval Office if he wins the election.
Speaking last Monday at the National Faith Summit in Powder Springs, Georgia, Trump vowed to reinstate the Faith Office he originally established during his first term, emphasizing the critical role of religion in the nation.
In response to a question from moderator Paula White-Cain about what a faith office might look like in a second Trump administration, the former president indicated his plans involve a direct line to the Oval Office.
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“First of all, we're going to set that up, and we'll be talking to you and all of the people that we just met, and anybody else that you think is appropriate as well,” said Trump. “It's important, and it'll be directly into the Oval Office.”
White-Cain, who previously oversaw the faith office during Trump’s final year in office, reiterated Trump’s promise.
"If you just heard what the president said, [the] faith office will be in the Oval Office in the White House and directly reporting to him, because that, to him, is one of the most important things to people is that we remain strong in all of our faiths,” she said.
Last month, Trump’s campaign announced that Dr. Benjamin Carson, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, would serve as national faith chairman.
In the announcement, Trump stated, “Kamala Harris and the radical left have waged war on America’s faith community since the day they took office. Her selection of Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential nominee solidifies their commitment to intensifying those efforts.”
“Ben Carson, a man of unwavering faith, is the perfect person to work with leaders of the faith community on behalf of the campaign to promote the protection of religious freedom and prosperity in our country," he added. "Nobody was a bigger champion for the faith community than me.”
Carson remarked, “I’m honored to serve as his national faith chairman and will work diligently with the faith community to get him elected. There is only one candidate in this race that has defended religious liberty and supported Americans of faith. That candidate is Donald J. Trump.”
Last December, Trump announced plans to create a task force to combat anti-Christian bias, which the former president said would focus on investigating "all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment and persecution against Christians in America."
"They are going after Christians," he said at the time. "Americans of faith are not a threat to our country. Americans of faith are the soul of our country and they have been from the beginning."
However, a recent report by researcher George Barna indicates that millions of Christians do not plan to vote in the upcoming election. Among those not voting, 68% cited a lack of interest in policies, while 57% expressed discontent with all major candidates.
Half of those surveyed stated that the increasing controversy surrounding elections influenced their decision to abstain from voting.
