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Numerous previous presidents have issued statements in recognition of Easter Sunday. This year, the Trump administration went a step farther, with several key Cabinet departments heralding Christ\u2019s resurrection on their official social media accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is risen,\u201d declared the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> and the State Department<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Defense Department<\/a> shared a post on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: \u201cThe tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage, and truth.\u201d<\/p>\n The Justice Department<\/a> also chimed in on X.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, as millions of Christians gather in their churches across the nation to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, this Department \u2014- is proud to protect and defend religious liberty,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The posts drew thousands of comments. Some people expressed joy at the departments\u2019 open embrace of Christianity; others were outraged, saying government agencies should not be promoting the doctrine of a particular faith.<\/p>\n Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.<\/p>\n Last week, Hegseth hosted his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war<\/a> began.<\/p>\n \u201cLet every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,\u201d Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. \u201cGive them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump, in a statement issued on Good Friday, evoked the Iran war only indirectly.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the Christian patriots who won and secured our liberty on the battlefield and every generation since, the love of Christ has unfailingly guided our Nation through calm waters and dark storms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On Easter Sunday morning, his tone was harsher. In a profanity-laced post on Truth Social, he demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, \u201cor you\u2019ll be living in Hell \u2013 JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.\u201d<\/p>\n The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nationwide advocacy group, responded by assailing Trump’s \u201cderanged mocking of Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n Statements of faith are common in American public life, across political parties and religious traditions. Pentagon aides and Hegseth\u2019s defenders cite examples from history, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt\u2019s support for issuing Bibles to troops.<\/p>\n But the overall tradition, widely adhered to over the decades, has been for presidents and their administrations to honor the constitutional separation of church and state<\/a>, and avoid a clearcut favoring of one faith over others.<\/p>\n Past presidents had various tones in their Easter messages. Republican George W. Bush, in 2003, explicitly celebrated the resurrection of Christ. Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Barack Obama sometimes issued messages recognizing both Easter and Passover.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n