President Donald Trump on Thursday declared that “religion is back” in the United States, telling lawmakers and religious leaders that faith is regaining prominence after what he described as years of decline during the COVID-19 pandemic and political attacks on religious institutions.
Speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump said churches were once again filling up after closures during the pandemic, which he blamed on policies pushed by Democrats.
“As we gather today, there are many signs that religion is coming back, and it’s coming back so strong,” Trump said at the event, held at the Washington Hilton. “Your churches are filling up. You didn’t have that for two years. It was hurt by COVID.”
The president accused Democrats of treating religious communities “terribly” during the pandemic and criticized what he called broader attacks on religion from the political left, including a recent protest that disrupted a church service in Minneapolis.
“I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat,” Trump said, drawing applause from parts of the audience.
The National Prayer Breakfast, traditionally bipartisan, brings together hundreds of lawmakers, senior officials, foreign leaders and business figures for prayers and discussions on faith and public life. Thursday’s gathering marked Trump’s sixth appearance at the event.
Trump said his administration was pushing back against what he described as a “militant and intolerant” effort to marginalize religious believers from public life. He added that religious leaders were now “respected as much or more than any leader of any type anywhere in the world.”
Recent surveys have shown a modest rise in religious attendance in the United States after years of decline, with some polling indicating increased participation among younger Americans, including Generation Z and millennials.
At the start of his remarks, Trump also addressed recent media coverage of comments he had made joking about whether he would go to heaven, saying they were taken too seriously.
“I really think I should probably make it,” he said, adding that he had “done a hell of a lot of good.”
The Trump administration has stepped up outreach to religious groups, including the creation of a White House Faith Office. Officials have also helped organize a multi-faith day of prayer on the National Mall scheduled for May 17 as part of events marking the upcoming America 250 celebrations.
Trump said the gathering would rededicate the country as “one nation under God.”
Among those attending Thursday’s breakfast were Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Foreign leaders in attendance included El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi.
