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In order to make Donald Trump look good before what will hopefully be a bloodbath for Republicans in the midterm elections, and in order to galvanize white evangelical support for GOP candidates so they don’t disengage from voting out of frustration, the White House last week released a list of Trump’s “Top 250 Victories For People of Faith.”
While that’s a nod to the country’s 250th anniversary, the title suggests there are many more where these come from. These aren’t just 250 accomplishments; these are the top 250! They just wanted to keep the list manageable! Still, these are victories, everyone! These are things Trump has done for religious people that no Democrat would have done!
The preamble even says the list proves “nobody has fought harder or gained more for believers, reversing the catastrophic policies of the previous administration while building on the winning legacy of his first term.”
You’ll be shocked to learn the list proves none of that.
In fact, it’s problematic for two major reasons. One, it’s padded with bullshit. Two, it’s mostly good news for white evangelical Christians and their allies, not “people of faith” in general. If you’re a conservative Christian, this administration has been great for you because you share their goals of hurting people outside your tribes and forcing your religious beliefs on everyone else. In that sense, the Trump administration has been good for business. For everyone else, however, it’s been nothing but disastrous.
Like so much of what this administration does, they really just wanted the headlines, knowing full well that no normal person is going to sit down and read through the entire list to verify that these are actual “victories.”
Thankfully, I am not a normal person.
So let’s talk about the lies and exaggerations on here, starting with #1, which says Trump established the “historic” White House Faith Office, which they say is the “first White House office focused exclusively on faith and located in the West Wing.” But it’s not the first White House office devoted to working with faith communities. George W. Bush created a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 2001. Barack Obama and Joe Biden kept it going, though it was renamed the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. There’s nothing new about this sort of office, much less historic. Trump just made sure the only people who feel at home within it are white evangelicals and their allies.
Many of the items on the list are egregiously wrong.
For example, #15 says the Department of Justice eliminated a restriction that “required houses of worship and faith-based organizations to ban religious aspects of their programs to receive federal funds.” That’s not what the statute said. It merely said federal funds couldn’t be used for religious worship, instruction, or proselytizing.
#18 says this about protesters who went into a Minnesota church where the pastor was a high-ranking ICE official:
The Department of Justice swiftly arrested dozens of radical left rioters who attacked a worship service at a Minnesota church — sending a clear message that violence against places of worship will not be tolerated.
Even if you believe protesters should not be allowed to enter a church, there’s no evidence that the protesters “attacked” the church, much less did so with “violence.” The city attorney chose not to file charges against anyone because the video evidence was “insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges.” (Federal prosecutors nevertheless charged 38 people, including journalists, and later offered most defendants deals reducing their felony conspiracy charges to misdemeanors.)
#27 says Trump rescinded Biden-era guidance that “could force pharmacists to stock and dispense abortion pills in pharmacies in violation of the pharmacists’ religious beliefs or conscience.” But the Biden-era guidance explicitly said it didn’t require pharmacies to dispense medication for the purpose of abortion and acknowledged that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) could protect pharmacists with religious objections. It also said pharmacies could violate civil rights laws by refusing drugs such as methotrexate or misoprostol when prescribed for non-abortion purposes. The Trump memo frames those protections for patients as an abortion mandate despite conceding that the earlier document included both disclaimers.
#35 and #36 are all about how FBI agents at an office in Richmond, Virginia labeled Catholics as “extremists” and wrote up an “anti-Catholic” memo. But as I’ve detailed at great length, those FBI agents were not targeting people simply for being conservative Catholics. They were looking into a potential terrorist who tried to recruit accomplices at a conservative church that’s part of a breakaway Catholic sect—one that’s not even recognized by the Catholic Church. Their investigation may have prevented a potential attack. But when the agents tried to warn other offices about suspects with similar extremist profiles, they were fired under the direction of FBI Director Kash Patel, who claimed they were biased. The point is: The FBI didn’t randomly decide conservative Catholics were terrorists, and even when two priests were investigated as part of the operation, it wasn’t due to their religious beliefs.
#38 says the Trump administration “pardoned Christians and pro-life activists who were unjustly persecuted for praying and peacefully living out their faith.” Those were not peaceful protests. The people in question blockaded a clinic and injured a nurse. (Also, police found five fetuses inside the home of one of the group’s leaders.)
#40 says the FBI “terminated all ties with the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League.” But that’s because the SPLC detailed (with evidence) how certain right-wing groups were actively promoting antisemitism and anti-LGBTQ hate, not because they were a mindless “partisan smear machine.” The ADL had included Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA in its "Glossary of Extremism and Hate" because there’s plenty of evidence to back it up, but the group caved under the pressure by removing that page entirely. Needless to say, severing relationships with outside organizations that monitor extremism is a political choice, not inherently a victory for religious liberty. It’s not like the list explains what religious exercises those terminations prevented.
#41 continues the attack on the SPLC, saying the Department of Justice indicted the organization “for allegedly funneling fraudulent financial donations to extremist groups.” But an indictment isn’t a conviction, which means there’s no “victory” yet. The DoJ says the SPLC concealed payments and misled donors—those allegations are unproven—while the SPLC claims they were working to combat actual hate by infiltrating targeted groups from the inside and that required some financial workarounds. Beyond that, though, even if federal prosecutors eventually prove their case, that still wouldn’t have any connection to protecting Americans’ religious liberty.
#79 says the Department of Justice rescinded a Biden-era memo from former Attorney General Merrick Garland “directing the FBI to investigate parents who raised concerns about their children’s education at local school board meetings.” But that memo was never about concerned parents speaking up. It specifically targeted people who were harassing and making violent threats against school board members.
#119 says that Biden “forced foster parents to choose between their religious beliefs and fostering children.” In fact, the Biden-era rule just said foster agencies receiving federal funding needed to make sure placements for kids were “free from harassment, mistreatment, and abuse,” but agencies or parents who had religious objections to taking in LGBTQ youth could not be punished for that because the law protected them. A federal judge prevented that rule from going into effect, and the Trump administration later said the provisions were never implemented and were simply being removed for “clarity.” So they’re taking credit for something that never happened and was struck down by a judge.
#163 counts it as “spiritual support for troops” that Pete Hegseth encourages them to “rely on God” while #186 credits Trump with saying our rights come from “God in Heaven.” That may be great for conservative Christians, but their statements aren’t meant for non-religious Americans or those who don’t share their faith.
Other items on the list are wildly exaggerated.
#3 says Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission was created to “secure and promote religious liberty for Americans of all faiths” and that it included leaders from “every major faith.” But the Commission itself was made up of 12 Christian leaders, right-wing activists, conservative lawyers, and Trump allies… and one Orthodox Jew (who aligned with his colleagues’ views). It wasn’t diverse and didn’t represent people beyond those circles. Their eventual report was merely a restatement of white evangelical wishes. (The advisory board was slightly more diverse but that’s not the same thing as the Commission itself.)
Allowing Christian employers to “conduct their businesses according to their faith” by letting them discriminate against transgender people (#23) is not a victory for anyone except bigots.
Launching investigations into states for “allegedly coercing health care entities to pay for abortion coverage” (#26) is a way to punish states that take health care seriously.
This happens a lot throughout the list. The White House claims victories for the people who benefit from religious exemptions—usually conservative Christians—without ever considering the harm imposed on the rest of us who have to bear the costs.
Several items just promote the conservative Christian agenda, like dismissing claims of book bans (#74), rejecting or impeding comprehensive sex education (#76, #77, #85), putting trans kids in harm’s way and accusing a school district of secretly “transitioning” children by allowing kids to use different names and pronouns without automatically notifying their parents (#82, #83, #84), and making it easy for vaccine deniers to spread diseases in the name of God (#86).
Anti-transgender policies make up an enormous portion of the list.
Two entire sections are under the labels of “Saved Women’s Sports” and “Protected Children from Harmful Procedures and Ideology.” Most of the “victories” in #90-#121 consist of symbolic moves and federal guidance to prevent trans kids from participating in society. Others (#189, #191) affirm “biological truth” in international settings and on passports. They punish states that allow trans kids to compete in athletic events, interfere with medical expertise on the topic, threaten doctors who help trans kids, allow foster care and adoption agencies that receive federal funding to discriminate or make life worse for trans kids, and reject all kinds of “gender-affirming care.” There’s one item (#188) that celebrates when a Trump official gave a speech at the United Nations conference centered around the question, “What is a woman?”
The list argues that pushing trans people out of the military (#164) and denying those troops health care (#165) are wins for the country.
One of the most chilling items on the list is #109, which celebrates a “counterterrorism strategy” that aims to shut down “radically pro-transgender” ideology. (Ironically, #50 says another counterterrorism strategy is “prioritizing free speech.” I guess that only goes so far.)
There are many items (#131-#157) that just push anti-abortion rhetoric, celebrating anything that blocks federal funding to groups that “directly or indirectly” support abortion rights, even if we’re talking about organizations that simply offer health care. They say it’s a victory to support states that defund health care clinics, even when those clinics provide far more than just abortion services. It’s important to note that, despite all the “pro-life” wins, abortions didn’t decline in Trump’s first year back in office. Estimated abortions rose from 1.11 million in 2024 to 1.13 million in 2025. It’s not that Trump caused the increase; rather, the administration can’t point to their own restrictions as proof that they reduced abortions.
It celebrates withdrawing from the World Health Organization (#193), which is described as “pro-abortion, anti-faith, anti-freedom.” But while WHO’s policy guidance supports access to abortion care and promotes vaccines, none of that is inherently “anti-faith” and many religious groups would agree with their recommendations.
Also on the list (#195-#205) are foreign-policy decisions supporting the Israeli government, sanctions against the International Criminal Court, and diplomatic appointments. They have nothing to do with protecting Americans’ right to practice (or reject) a religion. Also, the list equates support for Israel’s right-wing government with support for Jewish people and Judaism, which are not the same thing.
A lot of these items aren’t even policy accomplishments.
Launching an investigation, or publishing a one-sided report, or filing a lawsuit aren’t victories… yet. But those are repeatedly cited as wins all over the place (#25, #26, #44, #54, #60, #85, #100, #101, #103, #105, #117, #137, #147, #175, #184). There are statements of support, and requests to Congress, and proposed rules that haven’t yet resulted in anything meaningful (#61, #108, #142, #156). There are speeches and symbolic statements and ceremonial events that are listed as accomplishments (#122, #123, #126, #138, #139, #140, #141, #157, #186, #219-#230, #235-#250).
Sometimes, the Trump administration takes credit for what other people did, like an anti-trans move by the NCAA and International Olympic Committee (#96).
Benjamin Netanyahu nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize? That’s #198. How that’s a victory for “people of faith” is anyone’s guess.
The same could be said of #128, which revokes the passports of parents who owe a “significant amount” of money in child support.
#176 says Trump “ended the Biden-era commission on court reform.” Not only does that have nothing to do with religion, the commission’s work was completed in 2021. Trump is taking credit for something that ended years before his second term began.
The list includes praise for the War in Iran (#204, #205), with no mention of how this counts as a win for people of faith.
#206-#211 have nothing to do with religion at all. They’re all about Trump whitewashing history at the Smithsonian, demanding that U.S. embassies only fly the American flag, and firing board members at the Kennedy Center.
#224-#228 are all about Trump honoring the Founding Fathers for their views on religion… but, as Christian Nationalists do all the time, these are distortions of reality. The irony is that the White House invokes James Madison and Thomas Jefferson while minimizing their support for church/state separation.
#230 says Trump celebrated the “tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity, and belief in God.” There’s no proof of this supposed renewal, much less that it was due to anything Trump did.
#234 is all about how NASA astronauts spoke about their faith, but the White House puts this in the win column for Trump.
There’s also double-counting. Trump’s “Religious Liberty Commission” takes up two spots on the list (#3, #4). His “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias” takes up another two spots (#6, #7). They double up on their attempts to weaken or eliminate the Johnson Amendment (#13, #14) even though it’s still technically in effect and one of those “victories” is an announcement of future Treasury guidance.
The list largely equates religious freedom for all with religious privilege for white evangelical Christians. Just to give one example, most non-evangelical white Protestants support legal abortion, even though white evangelicals largely oppose it, but only the latter’s views are counted as wins for “people of faith.”
There are genuine religious liberty measures scattered throughout the document—including RLUIPA enforcement (#16), security funding for houses of worship (#17), prosecutions involving attacks on synagogues (#19, #20), and workplace accommodations (#12, #32). But a list containing only a handful of defensible, completed actions that actually protect the free exercise of religion would fit on a notecard. It certainly wouldn’t number 250 and it wouldn’t generate the headlines the Trump administration wants.
The only thing we learn from this list is that the administration has a very self-serving definition of religious liberty that doesn’t include you. It just points to conservative Christians getting their preferred outcomes on abortion, LGBTQ rights, education, public health, employment, and foreign policy—even if that interferes with someone else’s freedom, access to health care, or equal treatment. They don’t care about the non-religious. And they clearly don’t think progressive Christians or religious minorities are worth thinking about.
This isn’t a record of an administration protecting people of every faith. It’s a record of an administration that treats certain Americans’ beliefs as more important than everyone else’s, contrary to the very thing our Constitution demands. That’s not religious liberty at all, much less 250 times.
Side note: Do you remember God’s Not Dead and God’s Not Dead 2? One of the criticisms even before the first movie came out is that the kind of Christian persecution seen in the films just doesn’t exist in real life. To blunt those attacks, the end credits of both movies included a long list of court cases supposedly documenting real-life instances of Christians under attack.
I think the filmmakers assumed no one would look closely at any of those cases. Viewers would just see a scrolling list of examples and assume the problem really exists. But as I documented in 2016, those cases were largely overblown. More often than not, they showed conservative Christians discriminating against other people under the guise of faith. If there was ever a case in which the Christians were wronged, the system ruled in their favor, just as it should have.
This tactic of throwing anything and everything against the wall, knowing that conservatives will never do their own research and question the material, has always been in the right-wing toolbox. That’s what the Trump administration is doing here.
Trump is so full of shit, he should be brown instead of orange.
#251 - Lying for Jesus.