Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that religious freedom would be a top focus of the Trump administration at home and abroad, saying there was “much more to do” to secure religious liberty.
Vance made the comments during a speech at the International Religious Freedom Summit at the Washington Hilton, where he highlighted actions taken during the first Trump administration to advocate for religious freedom, saying the second administration would expand that focus.
“We remain the world’s largest majority-Christian country and the right to religious freedom is protected by the people for everybody whether you’re a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or no faith at all,” Vance said. “But religious liberty is not simply, as we all know, about legal safeguards, it is also about fostering a culture in which faith can thrive, so that men and women can fully appreciate and respect the God-given rights of their fellow citizens.”
He said that religion helps people better connect to “the particular,” helping them be more committed to their neighbors and communities.
The conference was attended by 1,500 religious liberty advocates and sponsored by several companies and organizations, including Meta, The Washington Times Foundation, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, and Samaritan’s Purse.
“In China, across Europe, and throughout Africa, and the Middle East, the first Trump administration took critical steps to protect the rights of the faithful, whether that was by rescuing pastors who were persecuted by foreign regimes or bringing relief to Yazidis, Christians, and other faith communities facing genocidal terror from ISIS,” Vance said.
He then pointed to actions already taken by Trump during his first few weeks in office, including issuing pardons to 23 peaceful pro-life protesters who were targeted by the Biden administration.
“The president has issued orders to end the weaponization of the federal government against religious Americans, pardon pro-life protesters who were unjustly imprisoned under the last administration, and, importantly, stop the federal censorship used to prevent Americans from speaking their conscience and speaking their mind whether it’s in their communities or online,” Vance said.
The VP also praised Trump’s choice to nominate his former senate colleague, Marco Rubio, as Secretary of State, saying he was a “champion” of religious liberty. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also praised Rubio’s confirmation, saying he would be stronger than his predecessor.
