The twisted history Trump’s White House is using to redefine religious freedom
The Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission has submitted a draft report arguing that the federal government has gone too far in endorsing secular liberalism and the separation of church and state. The report proposes dozens of new policy and legal changes to promote religiosity and claims that the Founding Fathers wanted to promote religion as much as possible. However, historians disagree with the commission's interpretation of the Founding Fathers' views on religious liberty, citing a more nuanced history of tolerance and secularism.
- ▪The Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission has proposed dozens of policy and legal changes to promote religiosity.
- ▪The commission's report argues that the federal government has gone too far in endorsing secular liberalism and the separation of church and state.
- ▪The report's interpretation of the Founding Fathers' views on religious liberty differs from that of historians, who cite a more nuanced history of tolerance and secularism.
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PoliticsThe twisted history Trump’s White House is using to redefine religious freedomIs religious freedom on the retreat in America? A Trump commission certainly believes that to be true.by Christian PazJul 5, 2026, 10:30 AM UTCShareGiftPaula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House Faith Office; Ben Carson, national adviser for nutrition, health, and housing at the Department of Agriculture (USDA); President Donald Trump; Dan Patrick, lieutenant governor of Texas; and Catholic Bishop Robert Barron in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/CNP via Getty ImagesChristian Paz is a correspondent at Vox, where he covers national politics and American religion.
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