On the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, President Donald Trump issued an official White House message recognizing Christians in the United States and around the world who honor the day. He recalled how, according to Scripture, Saint Michael led the heavenly army that cast Satan out of Heaven, reaffirming God’s dominion over creation. For two millennia, Christians have turned to Saint Michael for courage and protection in times of struggle.
The president concluded his message by including the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, written by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, which is recited by believers worldwide.
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
Although Saint Michael the Archangel is especially venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, most Protestant denominations also acknowledge him as a biblical archangel. Scripture (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7–9) depicts his warrior role. In U.S. military tradition, he is widely regarded as the patron of the armed forces in general and of airborne troops in particular. Other saints associated with soldiers include Saint Maurice, Saint Martin of Tours, and Saint George.
The White House’s statement carries several important implications. First, it appears to mark the first time a U.S. president has formally recognized this specific Catholic feast day. Second, the Feast of Saint Michael came just days before President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with U.S. military leaders to declare that the softness and political correctness of the Obama and Biden years are over, and that the Army’s mission is once again to fight and win wars.
During that meeting, Secretary Hegseth shared the prayer he offers for his soldiers, reaffirming his faith and the deep connection between belief and service to country.
Finally, the recognition of Saint Michael’s feast day is part of a broader pattern distinguishing Trump’s presidency from Biden’s. In 2025 alone, Trump has issued or signed the Presidential Message on the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (September 29), a Holy Week Message emphasizing Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection (April 13), a National Day of Prayer Proclamation (May 1), a Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day Proclamation (May 26), and launched the America Prays Initiative at the Museum of the Bible (September 8).
He also reinstated the White House Religious Liberty Commission to safeguard freedom of belief.
By contrast, during his four years in office, President Biden’s Christian recognitions were limited mostly to annual Easter and Christmas messages and routine National Day of Prayer proclamations. The difference reflects not only Trump’s willingness to publicly affirm the nation’s Christian heritage but also his effort to make faith a visible part of American civic life.
President Biden also chose Easter Sunday 2024 to host a White House event marking the “Trans Day of Visibility,” a decision that drew widespread criticism from Christian communities. His administration’s approach contrasted sharply with President Trump’s open recognition of Christian holidays and traditions.
Similarly, before the now-infamous “You’re at the wrong rally” remark to someone shouting “Jesus is Lord” in 2017, then–Senator Kamala Harris made headlines for saying, “How dare we speak Merry Christmas,” during a press conference promoting the DREAM Act. Her full statement argued that Americans should not celebrate Christmas while DACA protections remained unresolved. Yet there is no legal or scriptural basis suggesting that Christians must endorse Democratic policies before being permitted to celebrate Christmas.
The messaging of the two presidents differs sharply. President Trump’s statements are explicitly theological, often including detailed descriptions of Christian doctrine, promises to defend the faith in schools, the military, and public institutions, and even references to his own survival of an assassination attempt as divine intervention.
President Biden’s approach, by contrast, emphasizes interfaith unity, religious pluralism, and the freedom to “practice any faith or none at all.” His proclamations frequently frame religion as a personal rather than national matter, highlighting inclusion and tolerance over specific theology. His Religious Freedom Day proclamation discussed combating discrimination against all faiths, including Judaism and Islam.
However, under President Biden’s administration, the FBI was tasked with investigating Catholics. A memo from the FBI’s Richmond Field Office labeled “radical-traditionalist Catholics” as potential domestic terrorists. Congressional investigations later revealed that the document had been circulated to more than 1,000 FBI employees nationwide.
The House Judiciary Committee later found that the FBI surveilled a Catholic priest after he refused to divulge confidential information about a parishioner, coordinating with offices in Louisville and London. Further investigation uncovered at least 13 internal FBI documents containing anti-Catholic language, many of which relied on the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center for their definitions.
In addition to ending the Biden-era FBI investigations targeting Catholics, President Trump has taken concrete action to defend Christians through executive orders reversing the policies of the previous administration. On February 6, 2025, he signed the Executive Order on Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias, establishing the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Its stated mission is “to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”
The task force is charged with reviewing the activities of all federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Justice, FBI, and IRS, to identify and eliminate anti-Christian policies or practices. It will deliver progress reports to the president at 120 days, one year, and upon completion of its two-year mandate.
The order directly addressed Biden-era policies, including the Department of Justice’s prosecution of nearly two dozen pro-life Christians for praying or demonstrating outside abortion clinics, among them a Catholic priest, a 75-year-old grandmother, and an 87-year-old woman, many of whom received multi-year prison sentences.
President Trump pardoned these individuals on January 23, 2025. The order also noted that during the Biden years, the DOJ largely ignored violent attacks, theft, and arson against Catholic churches, charities, and pro-life centers. Attacks on Catholic churches in 2023 exceeded by more than eight times the number recorded in 2018. President Trump stated that Attorney General Bondi and the task force would “fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society.”
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