What religion is Trump? The answer, like many things about him, has always been a bit murky

As a darling of the evangelical right, Donald Trump has always been very happy to use the language of religion when it suits him. However, what religion actually is he? The answer has changed over the years.

For much of his career, Trump identified as a Presbyterian, a mainstream Protestant Christian denomination.

He claims to have attended First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York, as a child, however, according to Deseret News, he and his parents began attending NYC’s Marble Collegiate Church in the 1970s, and he’s remained in close contact with that organisation over the years.

Marble Collegiate Church was founded in 1628, and was originally affiliated with the Calvinist Dutch Reformed Church. Calvinism is a branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th century.

The Trumps were reportedly drawn to Marble Collegiate Church as Norman Vincent Peale, author of the famous self-help book The Power of Positive Thinking, served as senior minister there until 1984.

Interestingly, the church takes an LGBTQ+ welcoming approach, including performing same-sex marriage ceremonies and participating in the annual NYC Pride parade, which is at odds with Trump’s repeated attacks on the queer community. The Trump-Vance Republican ticket was incredibly negative about the LGBTQ+ community during the election campaign, constantly pushing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

So, is Trump a Presbyterian or a Calvinist? Well, neither, actually.

In an interview with Religion News Service in 2020, then-President Trump said that he no longer identifies as a Presbyterian and described himself as a non-denominational Christian.

After claiming that his parents “taught me the importance of faith and prayer from a young age,” Trump went on to say that “Melania and I have gotten to visit some amazing churches and meet with great faith leaders from around the world. During the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, I tuned into several virtual church services and know that millions of Americans did the same.”

This was the first time he’d said much at all about his faith, despite cosying up to many evangelical Christian leaders over the years, including prominent, wealthy right-wing evangelicals like American Values president Gary Bauer, and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.

Family Research Council has been designated an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Tony Perkins, a former police officer, has repeatedly claimed that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be paedophiles.

In his interview with Religion News Service, Trump also explained how Franklin Graham visited the Oval Office to pray for him during the pandemic. It’s since been announced that the vehemently anti-LGBTQ+ American pastor, who has praised Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay laws, claimed that same-sex marriage was orchestrated by Satan, and called trans rights “evil”, will deliver the invocation in Washington DC on 20 January.

It would be interesting to know what Trump’s former associates at the LGBTQ+ inclusive Marble Collegiate Church make of his new bedfellows. What religion is Trump? Whatever suits his agenda best, it seems.

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