WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — At the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced he will sign an executive order to eradicate what he called “anti-Christian bias” in the federal government and create a faith office in the White House.

Trump credits his November victory to divine intervention, having survived a near-fatal assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. He also attributes his win to his base of evangelical voters. According to the Associated Press, about eight in 10 white evangelical Christian voters supported him in 2024. Now, he says he is fulfilling his promise to them, vowing to “bring religion back.”

“We will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, and in our workplaces,” Trump said.

The president named newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Task Force to End the War on Christians.

“She will also work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society,” he added.

The announcement follows Trump’s recent decision to pardon nearly two dozen Christian activists convicted under the Biden administration for blocking access to abortion clinics.

“Which was absolutely terrible,” Trump said of the convictions.

Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.), a Muslim lawmaker who delivered a prayer ahead of Trump’s remarks, said he hopes the initiative supports people of all faiths.

“Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, or non-faith systems — we want to make sure people are protected in the process,” Carson said.

However, civil rights groups have raised concerns about the new initiative.

Chris Line, legal counsel for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, said the executive order promotes Christian nationalism and aligns with Project 2025, a conservative policy agenda.

“This is very concerning,” Line said. “We work to protect the separation of church and state. We believe the government should be neutral.”

Line also disputed Trump’s characterization of the pardoned Christian activists.

“Some of those situations seem very close to terrorism,” he said. “There were threats, people were impeded from entering clinics, and some reported injuries.”

He warned the executive order could be used to weaponize Christianity—not only against LGBTQ Americans and religious minorities but also against Christians who do not adhere to conservative beliefs.

“We saw just last week a reverend who spoke of a more loving form of Christianity… she has been attacked relentlessly,” he said.

The White House says the task force will review policies across federal agencies and submit an annual report.