Trump participates in marathon Bible reading

April 21, 2026

President Donald Trump participated in a week-long biblical reading event called "America Reads the Bible" at Washington's Museum of the Bible, reading a passage from 2 Chronicles that Christian conservatives frequently cite as a call for national repentance and divine blessing. The commemorative event, marking America's 250th independence anniversary, features various administration officials and conservative figures reading the entire Bible continuously, reflecting the administration's embrace of Christianity's role in American founding principles. Trump's involvement occurs amid controversy over his recent social media post of an AI-generated image portraying him in a Jesus-like manner, which drew criticism from religious supporters before being removed.

Who is affected

President Donald Trump
Pope Leo XIV
Christian conservatives in the US
Trump's religious supporters
Administration officials (Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio)
The Trump administration generally
Iran (mentioned in context of Pope's criticism)

What action is being taken

A week-long continuous reading of the entire Bible is currently ongoing (started April 18)
Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, and other conservatives are participating by sharing biblical passages
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is citing biblical passages in press briefings and leading prayers in his department

Why it matters

This event highlights the Trump administration's public embrace of Christianity as central to American governance and identity, challenging traditional separation of church and state. The timing and nature of Trump's participation is particularly significant given simultaneous controversies involving his relationship with religious imagery and conflict with the Pope, revealing tensions between political Christianity and established religious authority. The event marks a broader conservative movement to reframe American founding principles through an explicitly Christian lens.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC