Speaking at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, President Donald Trump said he wants to “rededicate America as one nation under God” and invited the public to gather on the National Mall on May 17 for prayer and thanksgiving. He also mixed religious-freedom themes with sharp criticism of Democratic leaders and referenced administration actions he says are aimed at combating “anti-Christian bias” at home and addressing violence against Christians abroad.
President Donald Trump spoke at the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 5, where he emphasized religious faith and what he described as the nation’s founding principles.
Trump said he intends to “rededicate America as one nation under God” and invited Americans to “come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks” on May 17. “We are going to do something that everyone said, ‘That’s tough.’ We’re going to rededicate America as one nation under God,” Trump said. He added, “I’ve always said, you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion. You have to believe in something.”
During the remarks, Trump also acknowledged departing from prepared text and joked about returning to the teleprompter. At one point, he referenced the Declaration of Independence and the founders’ language about rights coming from a Creator, saying, “Some major politicians refuse to say the word ‘God.’ They don’t want to say it. I say it.”
Trump also criticized political opponents, calling former President Joe Biden “the worst president we’ve ever had” and former President Barack Obama “a terrible divider of our country.” He also said, “I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat.”
On policy, Trump cited a February 6, 2025 executive order establishing a Justice Department task force aimed at “eradicating anti-Christian bias.” The order states the administration “will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians” and directs the task force to review federal agency actions and recommend steps to end conduct it views as unlawfully targeting Christians.
Trump also linked his religious-freedom message to events abroad. He has publicly singled out Nigeria in recent months; on Oct. 31, 2025, the United States designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom under U.S. law, a move that can open the door to sanctions. Nigerian officials have rejected claims that the government persecutes Christians, and analysts have noted that extremist and criminal violence in parts of the country has affected both Christians and Muslims.
In his Prayer Breakfast speech, Trump said the U.S. recently struck ISIS-linked targets in Nigeria after killings of Christians there. Public reporting has described a U.S. military role supporting counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria and referenced U.S. strikes against an Islamic State-affiliated group late last year, though details of any specific operation Trump cited were not fully spelled out in the Prayer Breakfast remarks.
