The Atlantic

Trump Creates a Not-So-New Faith Office in the White House

The president’s initiative sounds a lot like those of Barack Obama and George W. Bush. But the religious influences on Trump’s government are radically different.
Source: Leah Millis / Reuters

Updated May 4, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. EST

President Trump announced a new White House faith office on Thursday. At a speech in the Rose Garden, he called the initiative “another historic action to promote religious freedom,” saying the office will help “ensure that faith-based organizations have equal access to government funding and the equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs.” The new initiative will also “design new policies” to recognize the role of faith in American communities, he said.

While exact details of the office are not yet clear, one thing is: An office dedicated to fostering partnerships between faith groups and the federal government is not a

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