During Holy Week, President Donald Trump is not only at the helm of the nation but is also embracing the notion that he is destined to lead.
With a refreshed sense of spirituality and a touch of dramatic flair, Trump is interlacing his personal faith with the essence of his presidency, particularly following an assassination attempt he endured last year.
“I believe my life was spared on that day in Butler for a significant reason,” he proclaimed during a recent address to Congress. “God saved me to make America great again. I hold that belief.”
This conviction has increasingly become a cornerstone of Trump’s approach in his second term. At the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year, he spoke more introspectively: “I feel that something has changed within me. I feel even more resilient. While I have always believed in God, my faith feels stronger now.”
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According to Trump, it wasn’t mere chance that saved him — it was a higher power at work. As he describes it, he glanced at a chart at precisely the right moment.
“That was God. It had to be,” he remarked.
Even Don Jr., his devoted son and outdoorsman, added his thoughts.
“He told me the odds of missing from that distance were like missing a one-foot putt. Someone had to have saved you, and I think I know who that is,” Don Jr. said, “and he looked up.”
Trump frequently attributes his Presbyterian upbringing as the source of his moral foundation and, by his account, his life’s purpose. At the 2024 National Faith Summit, he reminisced about attending Sunday school, watching Billy Graham’s crusades, and being raised by a devout Scottish mother and a “very strong” yet “kind-hearted” father.
President Donald Trump stands for a prayer during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House, March 28, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“I was fortunate to be raised in a religious household… and that faith remains in my heart every single day,” Trump added.
He argues that this foundation is essential not only for himself but also for the nation’s very soul.
Over the last two years, Trump has continuously expressed concern over America’s spiritual decline.
In an August 2024 interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, he stated plainly: “One of the reasons our country has lost so much is due to the decline of religion.”
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Trump often cites the government’s actions during the pandemic as a significant issue.
“People weren’t even allowed to gather outdoors… They arrested everyone. It was fascist behavior. It was a terrible time for organized religion — but faith provides hope. If I’m a good person, I’ll go to heaven,” he remarked.
At the 2023 Faith and Freedom Coalition event, he cautioned, “Religion is losing significance and popularity. This isn’t merely about popularity. We love God and seek to protect ourselves. It maintains our sanity, honesty, and goodness. It encourages kindness and helping others. They’re trying to take that away from you.”
President Donald Trump prays during an ‘Evangelicals for Trump’ coalition launch event in Miami, Jan. 3, 2020. (Marco Bello/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
From the White House podium to filled mega-church gatherings, Trump has utilized his presidency to champion religious freedoms as a foundational aspect of his governance.
“As long as I am president, no one will impede your right to practice your faith or express what is in your heart,” he asserted during his first term in 2017 — a promise he continues to reaffirm.
“Faith urges us to aspire to be better, stronger, kinder, and more compassionate… We need to end the attacks on religion,” he declared.
International religious freedom has also been a steady part of Trump’s agenda. In a 2017 interview with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) host David Brody, Trump addressed the plight of persecuted Christians.
“They have faced dreadful treatment… If you were a Christian in Syria, it was nearly impossible, at least very difficult, to gain entry into the United States… We are going to assist them,” he expressed.
Trump continues to draw connections between America’s founding principles and faith.
“Our Declaration of Independence states that our rights are granted to us by our Creator,” he remarked at the 2019 National Day of Prayer dinner. “Whenever we recite the pledge to our flag, we declare that we are one nation under God.”
President Donald Trump prays during a roundtable discussion with Latino community leaders in Miami. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
At the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast, he remarked: “Freedom is not a gift from the government; it is a gift from God. America will prosper as long as we maintain faith in one another and faith in God.”
Whether recounting memories from Sunday school or a bullet that narrowly missed, Trump’s narrative in 2025 is clear — he perceives himself as not only leading a nation but fulfilling a divine purpose.
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“I have a profound relationship with God and a remarkably strong connection” with evangelical Christian supporters, he mentioned in a 2016 interview with UJ host Jake Tapper. “My life may differ significantly from what many would imagine… I strive to lead a good life, and I have.”
Now, nearly ten years later, that message has grown louder, more personal, and — in his eyes — more providential.
“It might have grazed [my hair],” he speculated about the would-be assassin’s bullet. “But not where it truly matters.”
In Trump’s perspective: “I believed in God… but something has shifted.”
