As President Donald Trump ushers in unprecedented (and possibly illegal) changes in presidential power and the federal government, his actions have been “welcomed and celebrated by those in the pro-life” and “pro-family” movement, says a Family Research Council article titled “Trump’s First Week Just the Beginning of the ‘Clean-up Process’ of ‘Anti-Family Provisions.’”
“We want to make sure (America is) cleaned up of anti-family provisions to hopefully be used for pro-family provisions, both at home and around the world,” said FRC’s Travis Weber.
Gary Bauer of the James Dobson Family Institute called Trump’s inauguration “a miracle,” saying God is on Trump’s “heart and mind” and he is “a man on a mission.”
“Every inauguration marks a transfer of power, but this one was a transfer between two competing worldviews that are fighting to define America,” wrote Bauer, who said the Biden administration was populated by “radical secularists, socialists and globalists.”
“They promoted policies that are tyrannical, perverse, decadent and ungodly. They ignored our Constitution and attempted to demonize Americans who love Jesus and America, calling us ‘Christian nationalists.’”
Focus on the Family and its allied organizations have endorsed many of Trump’s nominees and appointees:
- “Hopefully Kash Patel is up to the challenge” of leading the FBI, which “has been weaponized … and used to intimidate pro-life, conservative Americans”
- New Attorney General Pam Bondi will be “more effective” than original nominee Matt Gaetz and will end “Partisan Weaponization of the Department of Justice”
- Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has a secret weapon: “a broad coalition of supporter (sic), especially socially conservative and often, homeschooling, mothers”
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, portrayed as a model Christian, husband and father of seven
- Controversial Office of Management and Budget nominee Russ Vought, who promises to do for the U.S. what Christian money guru Dave Ramsey does for families and will “help America live within its means”
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
- Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon, who hopes to shut down or handicap the department
- And press secretary and “fierce media disrupter” Karoline Leavitt, who worked for Trump’s campaign through pregnancy and child birth.
Trump ‘models healthy masculinity’
Following last month’s Gaza ceasefire that allowed Israeli hostages to be released, Trump has joined Ronald Reagan as a model of “healthy masculinity,” says Focus on the Family CEO Jim Daly.
Reagan was able to end the 1981 Iranian hostage crisis because Iranians “feared Reagan,” Daly said. “Men know when other men are serious about killing you.”
Now, Daly credits Trump for the Gaza ceasefire, saying, “What we saw in 1981, and are seeing again in 2025, are good examples of healthy masculinity.”
“The revitalization of American masculinity is our nation’s most pressing need,” Daly said. “Strong and principled leadership flows from it — and strong nations thrive when its top people possess it.”
“Good men have backbones and stand up to bullies,” Daly added. “They stay and fight and refuse to flee danger. They’re courageous. They recognize that masculinity isn’t toxic. It’s God-given and gifted. It all comes down to how it’s used.”
While praising Trump, Daly overlooked the Biden administration’s role in negotiating the Gaza ceasefire.
‘Manifest destiny reborn’
Trump has angered allies by proposing the U.S. should seize the Panama Canal, take over Greenland, make Canada America’s 51st state and occupy Gaza, turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” But the Family Research Council is all in.
“America is yearning to embrace our newfound ‘manifest destiny,’” says FRC, which is led by Tony Perkins, one of only a few evangelical leaders to publicly take such a stand. “As the next chapter of America’s history is written, President Trump wishes to make it one of opportunity, achievement and unprecedented accomplishments.”
Historically, “manifest destiny” referred to the idea that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across the continent. Some, including FRC and Focus on the Family, link the concept to the belief that America is uniquely favored among the world’s nations.
“Here on these shores, and here alone, people with a strong Christian worldview have been afforded an unparalleled opportunity to create from scratch what they considered an ideal system of government,” claims “The American Experiment,” a session in Focus’ The Truth Project curriculum.
‘God and Trump working together’ for Israel
“The Israelis have God and Donald Trump working together,” said Jerry Boykin, Family Research Council’s executive vice president, in an interview with a conservative Israeli news outlet.
“’I think Trump is going to give Israel whatever they ask for,” Boykin said. “He loves the underdog. The secret is they’re not the underdog, because they have God on their side.”
Boykin, who said he is “proud that my children are half Jew,” opposes the Gaza ceasefire and favors killing everyone there: “I think the prime minister was right at the very beginning when he said to annihilate these people, which is why I’m I am personally concerned about this ceasefire.”
Closing USAID reduces foreign ‘dependency’
Focus on the Family says the problem with U.S. foreign aid is the same problem it sees in the U.S. welfare system, arguing in an article, “Dependency on Foreign Aid Hurts the Very People it Aims to Help.”
Trump and Elon Musk shuttered the offices of USAID — which provides emergency food, medicines and shelter that can mean the difference between life and death — and halted its funding of overseas projects.
“The U.S. has poured all kinds of resources into over 100 nations, and for all kinds of reasons,” Focus says, but this aid largely “ignores the fact that cultivating a dependency on foreign aid can create dangerous conditions that ultimately hurt the very people and countries those dollars are designed to help.”
The closure of USAID has hurt the work of Christian groups around the world, Christianity Today reports, but Focus rejects any complaints.
“Any outcry over the freeze and potential cuts reflects the consequences of decades of bureaucrats kicking the proverbial can down the road,” Focus said, noting it was Reagan who famously quipped, “The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program.” Focus says, “United States foreign aid certainly fits that description.”
Tucker Carlson’s ‘rage’ is godly anger
Rage is on the rise, fueling extremism and threatening the peace of society, according to national security expert Elizabeth Neumann. But some say rage is good.
Conservative media celebrity Tucker Carlson says he is mad: “We’re in an unusually destructive period. I’m really, really mad about it. I couldn’t be madder about it. I’m enraged to the point where it affects my sleep. But not at any individual, but at the spirit of destruction unleashed on the country. And I want it to stop more than anything.”
Focus on the Family has long supported Carlson, claiming he has the courage of Billy Graham, and applauds his anger in an article, “Tucker Carlson Says Rage Motivates Him. Is that Bad?”
“There are some Christians who might be uncomfortable with the idea of ‘rage’ motivating anyone, but the Bible makes clear the distinction between righteous and unrighteous anger,” Focus said. “This type of anger is rooted in what angers God. It’s a humble but indignant response to sin. It’s productive and not destructive.”
“If what makes God angry doesn’t make us angry, there’s a good chance we’re apathetic, emotionally detached, unconcerned with those struggling and mired in sin. We get angry because we care.”
