Here’s What Christians Urged Trump to Prioritize in Talks at White House

During a White House roundtable on Wednesday, a Baptist leader urged the Trump administration to use its platform to promote pro-life, pro-family policies, The Daily Signal has learned.

President Donald Trump’s White House Faith Office held a meeting with several pastors to discuss the priorities of American Christians and hear their recommendations. The head of the White House Faith Office, Paula White, indicated that she would share the pastors’ recommendations with Trump, according to a person familiar with the meeting, the White House confirmed.

Roundtable participant William Wolfe, founder and executive director of the Center for Baptist Leaders, said the establishment of the Faith Office marks a “180-degree difference” from previous Democrat presidential administrations, during which Christians were persecuted for their faith.

“It’s not just that Christians were not welcome in the Biden administration or the Obama administration,” Wolfe told The Daily Signal, “but those administrations were actively hostile against them, particularly using government agencies like the IRS to target and to harass Christians.”

After the roundtable, pastors had the opportunity to meet Trump and pray over him.

Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Faith Office on Feb. 7.

Wolfe told The Daily Signal that when it was his turn to share the priorities of Baptists, he urged Trump to “push aggressively” for pro-life policies.

Wolfe praised Trump’s executive orders enforcing the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding to promote abortion, and reinstating the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for foreign abortions.

He urged the Trump administration to work next on repealing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which was weaponized by the Biden Department of Justice to prosecute pro-lifers for praying outside abortion clinics.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, have introduced bills in the House and Senate to repeal the FACE Act.

Baptists also would like Trump to implement pro-family policies that encourage marriage and the birth of children, said Wolfe, a former Trump appointee to the State Department and Department of Defense.

“I said that it is important that we continue to defend marriage in this country, and to encourage that and to uphold that, and particularly within marriage, we need to be encouraging people to have more children,” he said, adding that he encouraged the White House to consider tax policies that incentivize having more children.

While some religious people have outspokenly opposed Trump’s deportations of illegal immigrants, Wolfe said mass deportations are a Christian issue.

“We actually believe it is directly related to the preservation of America as we know it,” he said.

As the 250th birthday of the United States approaches next year, the leaders discussed incorporating America’s Christian heritage into the celebration, the White House confirmed to The Daily Signal.

The roundtable also discussed addressing global Christian persecution in countries abroad, including Syria and Nigeria.

“America should be a global champion in Christian religious living around the world without sending millions or billions of dollars around the world or importing millions of people here,” Wolfe said.

Because of the White House Faith Office, “Christians across this country are sleeping a lot more soundly,” he added.

Wolfe is grateful for the opportunity to represent conservative Baptists in the Southern Baptist Convention who appreciate Trump’s efforts to secure wins for Christians and churches, he said.

“Baptists have had a real issue with faithful representation on politics from our leaders over the last decade,” Wolfe said. “A lot of our Baptist public and political leaders have been foolish and unhelpful in their opposition to Trump and their embrace of leftist political rhetoric and wokeness.”

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