A Minnesotan taking part in a TV panel on President Trump’s State of the Union address is awarded FFRF Action Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” title for critiquing the use of religion in the speech.
Journalist Jacob Soboroff interviewed a panel of five citizens for MS Now on their thoughts before and after Trump’s State of the Union, including our “Secularist” Dr. Holly Neaton, a veterinarian and farmer based in Minnesota. Soboroff noted that Neaton is an independent voter. Neaton expressed her discontent that religion was pushed in the presidential address: “I don’t think that any of these things that he’s done have any Christian values to them.”
Soboroff asked if Neaton was referring to Trump’s immigration crackdown and his administration’s targeting of Minneapolis. “Yes,” Neaton confirmed. “We’ve had two innocent people murdered. We’ve had children taken away. People treated like they’re less than animals.”
Trump has repeatedly justified his state-sanctioned violence against immigrants and American citizens through the use of God and Christianity. Trump’s Christian nationalist authoritarianism is a clear threat to true religious freedom and the secular foundations of American democracy.
In her remarks, Neaton acknowledged this, asserting, “The other thing is, this country began with freedom of religion. Christianity is not the only religion in this country. We’ve got many, many different faiths. I think we all have the same values, and that’s to treat people as we would want to be treated.”
In his State of the Union address, Trump professed, “I’m very proud to say that during my time in office, both the first four years and in particular this last year, there has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God.” Trump also referenced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, saying, “In Charlie’s memory, we must all come together to reaffirm that America is one nation under God.” (As a reminder, “under God” wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until the 1950s.)
While concluding his address, Trump again turned to religion: “And when God needs a nation to work his miracles, he knows exactly who to ask. There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome, no frontier too vast for us to conquer, no dream too bold for us to chase, no horizon too distant for us to claim. For our destiny is written by the hand of Providence.” As FFRF Action Fund’s parent organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has noted, Trump’s claims read like an updated Manifest Destiny asserting a divine right to spread white nationalism.
Trump’s State of the Union address highlights the Christian nationalist roots of his administration’s goals — and Americans across the country are recognizing the dangers this poses. FFRF Action Fund thanks Dr. Neaton for her powerful remarks on MS Now’s panel. As more citizens spotlight Trump’s manipulation of Christian nationalism and the constitutional rights to freedom of and from religion, we can fight together to preserve our secular democracy.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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