Trump reads Bible passage at America Reads the Bible event marking 250 years of Scripture in the US
US President Donald Trump has taken part in a weeklong nationwide Bible-reading event at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, delivering a recorded reading from the Oval Office as part of the "America Reads the Bible" initiative. The event, which runs from April 18 to 25, brings together nearly 500 participants to read Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, according to multiple reports.
Trump's contribution, aired Tuesday evening, featured him reciting 2 Chronicles 7:11–22, a passage that calls for national repentance in ancient Israel. The video showed the president seated at his desk with his hands folded on an open Bible, looking directly into the camera, with cuts between two camera angles. The passage has been used for decades by those promoting the belief that America has been and should be a Christian nation, as noted by several news outlets.
In a statement commemorating the event, Trump said the Bible is "indelibly woven into our national identity and way of life," citing historical figures such as Puritan leader John Winthrop, who he said implored "his fellow Christian settlers to stand as a beacon of faith for all the world to see."
The event is organized by Christians Engaged, a nonprofit group focused on promoting biblical literacy and civic participation, according to the Jerusalem Post. Founder and President Bunni Pounds told Fox News Digital that the project had been in development for more than two years and is intended to encourage Americans to return to Scripture. "We're making a statement during this week as America reads the Bible, that there is so much in the Bible that we can gain wisdom and discernment from," Pounds said.
The Museum of the Bible is hosting the event, which features daily readings from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. following an opening celebration Saturday night. More than 100 ministries and figures from politics, media, and entertainment are taking part, including actress Patricia Heaton, who spoke at the opening celebration and referenced the October 7 terror attack in Israel. Other participants come from government, education, business, the arts, and the church, and the event is supported by national broadcasts, discipleship partnerships, and local gatherings.
Trump's appearance comes amid a series of recent moves that have drawn scrutiny and sowed division among his devout supporters, according to The Guardian. In early April, the president faced criticism for threatening to wipe out Iranian civilization, and he recently posted an AI-generated image of Jesus hugging him amid a public dispute with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war. Critics of the event say it has a highly partisan list of participants and is part of a larger project to connect America's coming 250th birthday with a Christian nationalist vision that portrays the nation's founding as essentially Christian—a view many historians dispute.
White Christians, particularly evangelicals, have been crucial to Trump's electoral base, a point acknowledged across multiple reports. Organizers, however, emphasize the event's goal of promoting biblical literacy and civic engagement, with participants reading from Genesis to Revelation over the course of the week.