President Trump is introducing new federal guidance to protect the right to prayer in public schools - just his latest effort to push back on anti-Christian bias in American education.
Trump announced the new protections in a speech for the Religious Liberty Commission at the Bible Museum, where he vowed to "bring back religion."
“As president, I will always defend our nation’s glorious heritage, and we will protect the Judeo-Christian principles of our founding, and we will protect them with vigor,” he said. “We have to bring back religion in America, bring it back stronger than ever before as our country grows stronger and stronger. Our country is now the hottest nation anywhere in the world.”
The president acknowledged Texas student Hannah Allen, who stood her ground after she was barred from praying for an injured classmate during lunch. Her school eventually backed down under legal pressure.
"A few years ago, Hannah organized a group of her classmates to pray for an injured peer,” Trump said. “The school principal declared that Hannah’s generous act of love was prohibited from taking place in front of the other students.”
"Hannah very strongly stood her ground and she won," Trump added.
Trump also invited 12-year-old Shea Encinas to discuss his experience with being bullied by his school over his refusal to proselytize transgenderism.
The boy said that he was pressured to teach a kindergartner that people are free to choose their gender.
“After my family spoke up, the school treated us badly, and kids started bullying me and my brother because of our faith. And the school did nothing to stop it. It hurt a lot. But I kept trusting God," Encinas said.
Trump praised Encinas and Allen for their strong faith and pledged to ensure that other students do not experience the same treatment.
"I am pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools, and it's total protection," the president said.
The president also emphasized that he would protect Christians from violence in the wake of the recent massacre at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.
"Our hearts are shattered for the families of those beautiful children,” Trump said. “And I’ve made clear Attorney General Pam Bondi is working really hard that we must get answers about the causes of these repeated attacks. And we’re working very, very hard on that. The Trump administration will have no tolerance for terrorism or political violence. And that includes hate crimes against Christians, Jews or anybody else. We’re not gonna allow it.”
On a personal note, Trump announced that he is donating his family Bible to the Bible Museum.
