President Donald Trump faced backlash on Thursday after he used a Bible reference to advocate for protecting children during an event with First Lady Melania Trump.
The event, an executive order signing, was “aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” according to the White House.
“The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans,” President Trump told the assembled audience in the East Room of the White House.
“So important, it is so big in the Bible, so, as we make America great again, we are going to protect American children in foster care.”
Critics were quick to chastise the president, whose administration has been fighting all the way to the Supreme Court to block funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“You literally fought in court to strip families of food assistance,” declared California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Your ICE agents pepper sprayed a baby last week,” charged House Homeland Security Committee Democrats.
“He sued to block kids from getting SNAP benefits just days ago,” wrote The Lincoln Project.
The Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta posted a headline that read: “USAID cuts may lead to more than 14 million deaths globally, including 4.5 million children under 5 by 2030, researchers say.”
Trump: The bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans—so important and so big in the bible. pic.twitter.com/lAOw7xmoGl
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 13, 2025