Trump's remarks on 'separation of church and state' leave Internet speechless: 'Most un-American prez'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump took the stage on National Prayer Day and delivered what sounded more like a sermon than a presidential speech, and not everyone’s saying amen.

Trump's White House Faith Office is fully functional with his longtime televangelist confidante Paula White at the helm. His Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias is pushing forward.

And while signing an executive order creating a new Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty, Trump appeared to show his disregard for one of the Constitution’s core tenets — the separation of church and state. 

Donald Trump questions the separation of church and state

“They say ‘separation between church and state,’ they told me,” Donald Trump said at the White House. “I said, alright, let's forget about that for one time.”

That “one time” was the moment he invited his faith advisors to set up shop right inside the West Wing. He added, “They work right out of the White House. That's never been done before. No other president allowed that."

He continued, “We said, separation, really, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure, but whether there's separation or not, you guys are in the White House, where you should be, and you're representing our country. We're bringing religion back to our country. And it's a big deal.” 

But constitutional scholars and civil liberties advocates are not taking his comments lightly.

Donald Trump taps Christian nationalist allies

Donald Trump’s new commission is unsurprisingly heavily Christian. Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick, who has openly said the US is “a Christian nation” and that the Constitution contains “no separation of church and state,” will serve as chair of the commission, according to Buzzfeed.

Joining him as vice chair is former HUD Secretary and devout conservative Ben Carson. Also on the roster are Dr Phil McGraw, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Kelly Shackelford, the CEO of First Liberty, a Texas-based legal group known for pushing conservative Christian causes. As for non-Christian voices, there’s reportedly a Rabbi on the commission. 

Trump’s supporters have cheered the move as a pushback against what they see as secularism run amok. But to critics, his moves show a fundamental misunderstanding or total disregard of the First Amendment, which says Congress shall make no law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

That clause (known as the Establishment Clause) has formed the bedrock of church-state separation since the 20th century, backed up by landmark Supreme Court decisions like Everson v Board of Education (1947) and Engel v Vitale (1962).

Donald Trump slammed over his 'church and state' remarks

After the footage of Donald Trump’s remarks made the rounds on social media, the backlash came faster than a Sunday altar call. 

"Kinda like he’s 'forgetting' about the Constitution too. What a disgrace," one posted on X.

"I’m sorry but separation between church and state isn’t something you get to ignore it’s a rule that needs to followed so people can’t push religion on others," another offered.

"Trump is attempting to redefine several amendments while in office, making him the most un-American president ever. He seeks to change the Constitution rather than protect it. Regardless of your stance, I hope people can objectively see that this violates the Constitution and our country's values," someone else fumed.

"Remember when I was told this was fear-mongering to suggest these things would happen. Good times," a comment read.

"I love how he's talking about this like it's a flex when it just makes him look like even more of a moron than he already is," another chimed in. 

"Why don’t you just rip the constitution to shreds while you’re at it," one individual wrote while slamming Trump. 

Another commented, "He treats the First Amendment like a parking ticket: annoying, optional, and easy to ignore." 

One person remarked, "As a Christian, I never wanted the government having any say over my faith, and that stands for this crew, too." 

Another added sarcastically, "Let's forget about everything in the Constitution."

Even lawmakers couldn’t stay silent. Rep Jared Huffman (D-California) wrote, “The separation of church and state was created to protect Americans from exactly this kind of religious favoritism. No one religion should reign supreme — and all must stay separate from government."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.