How many times has Trump gone to church in his second term?

1. What the records we have actually say — a confirmed Inauguration Day service

Photographers and news reports confirm that Trump and Melania attended a service at St. John’s Church on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025 ^[1]. Religious‑service coverage of that morning also appears in church and faith outlets noting the attendees and readings at the event ^[2]. Those items are specific and date‑stamped: they establish at least one public church appearance in the second term ^{[1] [2]}.

2. The gap between “photo‑ops” and regular worship — contested meaning

Several sources warn that not every public church visit is a routine worship service; some are framed as photo‑ops. Reporting from prior years and background pieces emphasize that Trump’s public visits to churches have sometimes been staged for optics rather than private religious practice ^{[3] [4]}. That distinction matters: counting “times he went to church” can produce different totals depending on whether you include public photo‑ops, ceremonial inauguration services, or private, unreported attendance ^{[3] [4]}.

3. No comprehensive tally for the second term in supplied sources

The documents provided do not include a compiled list or total of church visits during Trump’s second term. A 2025 trip list on Wikipedia catalogs presidential travel in 2025 but does not, in the excerpts supplied, enumerate church attendances specifically ^[5]. Other items mention particular events or patterns but stop short of offering a full count for the second term ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

4. How different sources define “attendance” — method drives result

If researchers count only formal worship services attended inside a sanctuary, the confirmed Inauguration Day service is a clear data point ^{[1] [2]}. If they include ceremonial moments, walk‑bys or photo‑op visits where Trump did not enter the church, totals will rise or fall — for example, prior reporting documents past instances where he posed outside St. John’s and did not enter the building ^[4]. Any published numeric claim should state which types of visits were included ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Context and competing perspectives in the record

Faith‑sector reporting notes both celebration and criticism of presidential church appearances: some clergy frame attendance as tradition and support for civic life, while critics see the events as political theater or as complicit with broader policy agendas ^{[2] [6]}. The supplied sources illustrate these competing views around inaugural services and church involvement in politics ^{[2] [6]}.

6. What you can reliably conclude right now

From the supplied reporting you can reliably say: Trump attended a public inauguration‑day service at St. John’s Church on January 20, 2025 ^{[1] [2]}. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive count of all church visits during his second term; therefore any definitive total is not documented in the material provided ^{[5] [3]}.

7. How to get a verifiable total if you need one

To produce a defensible tally, specify inclusion rules (e.g., private vs. public services, photo‑ops, inauguration/holiday services), then compile across primary source material: official White House calendars, contemporary news photo wires, local church bulletins and travel logs such as the presidential trips list. The excerpts provided include a presidential trip list but do not, in themselves, yield a church‑attendance total ^{[5] [1] [2]}.

Limitations: this analysis uses only the supplied documents; it does not assert counts not present in those sources. If you want, I can search for additional contemporaneous reporting or White House schedules to attempt a complete, citeable tally.