Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2025 / 15:02 pm (CNA).
President Donald Trump issued two messages on Palm Sunday recognizing the importance of the Holy Week leading up to Easter and renewed his calls to protect religious liberty in public policy.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social and in a White House presidential message, Trump wished Christians a “Happy Easter” and discussed the importance of the celebration for Christians and the nation.
“Christians around the world remember the crucifixion of God’s only begotten Son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and, on Easter Sunday, we celebrate his glorious resurrection and proclaim, as Christians have done for nearly 2,000 years, ‘HE IS RISEN!’” Trump said in an April 13 post on Truth Social.
“Through the pain and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we saw God’s boundless love and devotion to all humanity and, in that moment of his resurrection, history was forever changed with the promise of everlasting life,” the president said in the post.
Trump, who describes himself as a nondenominational Christian, wished fellow Christians “a happy and very blessed holiday” and called the United States “a nation of believers,” adding: “We need God, we want God and, with his help, we will make our nation stronger, safer, greater, more prosperous, and more united than ever before.”
The president also issued a statement through the White House in which he said: “[First Lady] Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of heaven for all of humanity.”
Trump said Holy Week “is a time of reflection for Christians to memorialize Jesus’ crucifixion — and to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for his miraculous resurrection from the dead.”
“During this sacred week, we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross,” Trump said.
“In his final hours on Earth, Christ willingly endured excruciating pain, torture, and execution on the cross out of a deep and abiding love for all his creation,” he added. “Through his suffering, we have redemption. Through his death, we are forgiven of our sins. Through his resurrection, we have hope of eternal life. On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness — signaling that death does not have the final word.”
The president also urged prayers for “an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved nation” and that the United States “will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ’s eternal kingdom in heaven.”
Renewing commitment to religious liberty
In his message released through the White House, Trump also emphasized his support for religious liberty in public policy.
“This Holy Week, my administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government,” the president said. “We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square.”
In February, Trump signed an executive order to create a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” within the federal government. The task force is reviewing policies within the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal departments and agencies to identify unlawful anti-Christian policies.
Trump also reversed executive policies from former President Joe Biden’s administration that sought to impose “gender identity” anti-discrimination rules on Catholic entities, which the nation’s bishops had warned would make them ineligible for public contracts.
However, the bishops have feuded with the administration over its cuts to migrant and refugee programs and foreign aid contracts, which supported Catholic nongovernmental organizations both domestically and abroad. The bishops are currently involved in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over some of the funding cuts.
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