WASHINGTON (BP) — Extolling the importance of religious liberty President Donald J. Trump announced the formation of a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the country as well as the launch of the White House Faith Office during the National Prayer Breakfast this morning.

The task force will come by executive order today (Feb. 6), he said, and will be led by newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Religious liberty featured heavily in Trump’s address that lasted a little over a half-hour. A new presidential commission on the subject, he said, “will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right” that, Trump added, has “in recent years” been “threatened like never before in American history.”

He cited the two-year jail sentence handed to then-75-year-old Paulette Harlow over her arrest for blocking the entrance of an abortion clinic. Harlow and 22 other pro-life activists were pardoned by Trump last month.

Harlow, in attendance at the breakfast, was “peacefully praying outside of [the] clinic [and] charged under an obscure law that hadn’t been used in years,” Trump said.

“If we don’t have religious liberty then we don’t have a free country. We probably don’t even have a country,” he told attendees.

Televangelist Paula White, a longtime faith advisor to Trump, will lead the White House Faith Office.

The president vowed his administration would protect Christians in schools, the military, government, workplaces and public squares. “We will bring our country back together as one nation under God with liberty and justice for all,” he said.

Speaking earlier on the importance of the presidency, Trump told the crowd, “I’m a believer — like you’re a believer — and we want to have a believer in this position.”

Faith makes nations great, he pointed out, because it is held and practiced in the hearts of the people.

“Without God, we are isolated and alone,” said Trump. “But with God, the Scripture tells us all things are possible.”

He pointed to a well-known and highly personal reason for feeling that way.

“I shouldn’t be here,” Trump said, recounting the day in Pennsylvania last summer when the bullet from a would-be assassin took a piece of his ear. “It was God that saved me.”

Appearing to be overcome with emotion and his voice cracking slightly, Trump offered a “Thank you” to the crowd as it applauded.

Noa Argamani, whose abduction by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, was videoed and has been seen worldwide, also attended and was acknowledged by Trump for her bravery shown during 245 days in captivity.

“Noa showed unwavering strength and courage and faith as she endured the unendurable,” Trump said. “But by the grace of God, she was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces and now she’s come back to pray with us this morning.

“… You’re really an inspiration, Noa, to all of us.”

The horrors stemming from the Hamas attack signal the importance of religious liberty, Trump said.

“[Jews] were murdered or kidnapped because of their faith. These events remind us of how blessed we are to live in a nation that has thrived for two and a half centuries as a haven of religious freedom,” he said.

Faith has a place throughout America to make it better, said Trump, who promised to return next year.

“From the gang-ridden streets of our inner cities to the war-torn lands of the Middle East, we’re working urgently to restore hope and prosperity, safety and peace all over,” he said. “Every single day of this administration we’ll act with purpose and historic speed because … we know that God is good and our future is bright and America’s glorious destiny is just within our reach.

“Together, we will make America stronger and prouder, safer, freer, greater and more faithful to our God than ever before.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)