On April 22, Attorney General Pam Bondi launched the “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias in the Federal Government,” a bold initiative that raised more questions than it answered. While the stated goal of the Task Force is to stand up for “religious liberty,” its true purpose appears to be leveraging unfounded claims of anti-Christian discrimination to further the political agenda of Christian nationalists and suppress opposing views.
The event, hosted at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., attracted officials from various sectors of the government, including the secretaries of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and others. Despite their concerns over “anti-Christian bias,” no significant evidence of such widespread discrimination has been presented. This raises the unsettling possibility that the Task Force’s primary function is to create a false narrative, inflating the persecution complex of Trump’s Christian nationalist base, and using these exaggerated claims as justification to quash dissent.
Shortly after the Task Force meeting, an incident at the U.S. Capitol underscored the hypocrisy of the administration’s commitment to “religious liberty.” Reverend William Barber, alongside other faith leaders protesting Republican budget cuts, was arrested after praying in the Capitol Rotunda. Despite claims of promoting religious freedom, the Trump administration quickly moved to suppress these dissenting voices. The hypocrisy becomes apparent when considering that right-wing pastors, like Sean Feucht, have held similar events in the Capitol without facing the same fate.
The situation exposes the true nature of the Trump administration’s agenda. The “anti-Christian bias” campaign focuses on amplifying the voices of conservative Christians who align with the administration’s policies, while ignoring the experiences of other Christians who advocate for social justice, equality, and the protection of the poor. While attacks on Christians may occur, they remain far less frequent than those against other religious groups such as Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs.
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The Task Force’s focus on “anti-Christian bias” becomes even more revealing when examining the examples it highlights. One of the Task Force’s key claims of bias was the conviction of anti-abortion activists who violated laws meant to protect healthcare access. This selective focus on Christian grievances ignores the broader picture of civil rights for all. Similarly, a memo from the FBI citing extremist Catholic groups as potential terror threats was used as further evidence of bias. However, upon further review, the FBI concluded that there was no evidence that the memo had targeted individuals based on their religion.
This campaign to promote “anti-Christian bias” has less to do with protecting religious rights and more to do with protecting a narrow, reactionary form of Christianity. The administration’s rhetoric about religious freedom is built on a false premise—that protecting the rights of marginalized groups is somehow an affront to Christianity. In reality, efforts to protect individuals from discrimination are being misrepresented as an attack on religious freedom. What’s more, the focus on “thought crimes” points to a dangerous trend: the idea that anyone who holds views counter to the Christian nationalist agenda is guilty of bias.
The administration’s plan extends beyond individual acts of discrimination to the very policies shaping the government. The Veterans Affairs Department, for instance, has circulated emails urging employees to report any policies or understandings hostile to Christian views. In practice, this could mean reporting anyone advocating for LGBTQ rights, racial equality, or environmental protection, all of which are deemed incompatible with the views of the Trump administration’s Christian nationalist allies.
This growing movement has already had a significant impact. A 2023 survey revealed that nearly 60% of white evangelicals in America believe they face significant discrimination. This belief is fueled not by actual incidents of discrimination, but by constant messaging from the Trump administration, convincing its base that they are victims. This manufactured sense of persecution feeds into the larger narrative that Trump is the protector of “true Americans” and will defend them against all who do not conform to the dominant ideology.
The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias is more than just a political ploy—it is a dangerous strategy to weaponize religion and use it as a tool for political gain. By creating a false narrative of widespread Christian persecution, the administration can justify eroding civil liberties and further entrenching its power. It’s a troubling sign of how far the Trump administration is willing to go to ensure that its preferred group remains in control, regardless of the law or the Constitution.
This is how authoritarian movements gain ground—by appealing to the fears of a certain group and manipulating them to maintain power. The Task Force’s rhetoric about religious liberty is a smokescreen for a much darker agenda: to create a privileged class based on reactionary religious beliefs, and punish those who dare to challenge it.
