Trump's week in review: Probing and prosecuting murder of Iryna Zarutska, remembering Charlie Kirk

1. Trump signals intention to protect prayer in public schools

On Monday, Trump addressed a crowd of about 500 people gathered at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., for the second meeting of the White House Religious Liberty Commission. During his speech, Trump announced that the United States Department of Education “will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.”

Trump cited the guidance as necessary in light of what he characterized as “grave threats” to public school students’ rights to express their faith. He specifically highlighted the case of Hannah Allen, a Texas student who was reportedly reprimanded for organizing a prayer group for an injured classmate, as an example of public schools’ hostility toward faith.  

Most of Trump’s remarks pointed to Christian faith and prayer as positive influences on American society. “When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker,” Trump insisted. “When faith gets stronger, as it is right now … good things happen for our country. It’s amazing the way it seems to work that way. Under the Trump administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God.”

“We are one nation under God and always will be,” he proclaimed. “To have a great nation, you have to have religion."

“There has to be something after we go through all of this," he added, "and that something is God.”