Is Trump weaponising religion? President's Iran rhetoric under fire for religious overtones

On Easter Sunday, after hailing the high-stakes rescue of a downed U.S. colonel as an "Easter Miracle", President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social was an expletive-ridden threat that ended with the phrase "Praise be to Allah." The President's rhetoric, apart from being ridiculed by Iranian embassies around the world, has also alarmed religious communities and lawmakers who claim that the Trump administration is trying to portray Operation Epic Fury as a modern-day holy war rooted in biblical prophecy.

Last week, American forces carried out a high-risk operation to rescue a crew member from an F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down by Iran successfully without any casualties. President Trump labelled the rescue as an "Easter Miracle" in his message to the nation on Sunday. Officials of his administration echoed his statement with remarks that appeared to characterise the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Tehran as a divine necessity. In a post on X, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent drew a direct parallel between Easter and the ongoing conflict. "The Easter miracle is considered the greatest victory ​in history," he wrote. "And so, it (is) fitting on this holiest of Christian days that a brave American warrior was rescued from behind enemy lines ​in one of the greatest search and rescue missions in military history." 

A later post by the President on the holy day invoked religion again, but this time mentioning "Allah" after hurling expletives at the Iranian regime. Calling them "crazy b******s", Trump asked Iran to open the "f****in Strait," and punctuated the threat with the phrase "Praise be to Allah." The President's post drew immediate backlash from several U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans, and religious groups. The Council on American‑Islamic Relations said that Trump's "mocking ​of Islam and his threats to attack ​civilian infrastructure" were reckless and ⁠dangerous.

In a detailed post on X, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote, "Our President is not a Christian, and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians." Recalling that this was not what the Republicans had promised American citizens, Greene asserted, "This is not making America great again, this is evil."  Democratic Party members, too, have lashed out at the President, with many comparing him to a "madman." Senator Jeff Merkley said that Trump's statements "are the words of a frustrated and immoral madman." "President Trump spent his Easter Sunday issuing dangerous, reckless threats in his illegal war with Iran. This isn't a game. He's putting our service members and innocent civilians at risk. He is not making sense. He needs to stop," Senator John Hickenlooper wrote in a post on X.

The recent criticism against the President is an escalation of previous claims made by Democratic lawmakers that the Trump administration was trying to justify his "war of choice" by invoking "biblical end-time prophecies." In March, lawmakers sought an investigation into the claims. In a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General Platte B. Moring III, the lawmakers wrote that the imperative of maintaining strict separation of church and state and protecting the religious freedom of troops is especially critical. "We must ensure that military operations are guided by facts and the law, not end-times prophecy and extreme religious beliefs," they added.