Fact check: How do evangelical Christians view Trump's religious practices and faith?

1. Summary of the results

Evangelical Christians demonstrate overwhelmingly strong support for Trump despite questions about his personal religious practices. 72% of White evangelical Protestants approve of Trump's handling of his job as president, and remarkably, 57% of White evangelicals say they trust what Trump says more than what previous presidents said ^[1].

Many evangelicals view Trump through a theological lens, with some Christians seeing him as "sent from God" and casting the election in apocalyptic terms, likening Trump to a Biblical figure ^[2]. Reverend Franklin Graham believes that Trump was chosen by God and points to his appointment of anti-abortion judges to the US Supreme Court as evidence of his integrity ^[2].

Trump has established multiple faith-related entities, including the White House Faith Office and the Religious Liberty Commission, which have been well-received by his conservative Christian supporters ^[3]. His administration has also worked to strengthen religious accommodations in the federal workforce ^[4].

However, there are notable contradictions in evangelical support. Some sources suggest that Trump's language and behavior may not align with the values of some evangelical Christians, particularly his use of profanity and divisive rhetoric, which may be seen as inconsistent with Christian values ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question fails to address several critical perspectives:

• Prominent evangelical leaders like Albert Mohler initially had reservations about Trump but came to support him, arguing that his disruption of the political establishment is necessary and that his policies on immigration and religious liberty align with evangelical values ^[6].
• Critics argue that Trump's faith-related initiatives blur the line between church and state and grant privileged status to politically conservative expressions of Christianity ^[3].
• There's a theological debate within Christianity about whether political leaders need to share the faith. Some argue that "Donald Trump isn't a Christian, and that's OK" and that the Church should reevaluate its expectation that political leaders share its faith ^[7].
• 27 religious groups have sued the Trump administration over immigration enforcement policies and their impact on religious freedom, indicating that not all faith communities support his approach ^[8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation but lacks important nuance. It assumes a monolithic evangelical view when the reality is more complex:

• The question doesn't acknowledge that evangelical support is primarily policy-driven rather than faith-based, with supporters focusing on outcomes like Supreme Court appointments and religious liberty protections rather than Trump's personal religious practices.
• It fails to recognize the transactional nature of much evangelical support - many evangelicals support Trump despite, not because of, his personal religious practices.
• The framing doesn't capture the internal evangelical debate about whether personal faith in political leaders matters, with some arguing that Trump's lack of traditional Christian values is acceptable given his policy positions.

Powerful evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham and Albert Mohler benefit from maintaining this narrative of divine endorsement, as it legitimizes their political influence and maintains their standing within conservative Christian communities.