Harry and Hazel Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy and Director of the Religion and Public Policy Program
One of the striking trends in American religion and politics over the past decade has been the extent to which Christians have rallied around President Donald Trump. Their support has been most pronounced among white evangelicals, but the president has gained electoral ground with nearly all Christian denominations since his first term.
Trump hasn’t just appealed to Christian voters through rhetoric. He’s also courted them through policy. Recent examples include a new task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the federal government and a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the vast budget package signed into law earlier this month, that strips Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The Hyde Amendment already prohibits federal funds from being used to cover abortions in nearly all cases.
Seven months into Trump’s second term, how do his policies measure up for his Christian base? Michael O. Emerson, director of the Baker Institute Religion and Public Policy Program, joined the podcast to help unpack how Christian support affects Trump’s policy agenda — and vice versa.
This conversation was recorded on July 24, 2025.
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For more insights, read the brief “Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Religious Americans ” by Michael O. Emerson.
View the transcript for this episode. This transcript was AI-generated and has not been through editorial review.
Hosted by David M. Satterfield, the “Baker Briefing” podcast delivers timely analysis on breaking policy developments and other critical policy issues of the day in conversations with experts at the Baker Institute. New episodes are released weekly.
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