When President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14202 earlier this year, it likely went under the radar of many people who it would later affect.
The order, titled Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias, was signed on Feb. 6 in a flurry of post-inauguration presidential actions. Its stated purpose from the beginning promised a no-nonsense approach.
“It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order,” the order read, “to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”
Trump’s order also stated that “the previous Administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.”
The action ordered the formation of a task force to review the activities and shore up the laws and policies of executive departments and agencies.
On Tuesday, the initial meeting of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias in the federal government took place at the United States Department of Justice. Among those attending was a man once victimized by the administration of former President Joe Biden, who now has a voice with a powerful and attentive audience.
Navy SEAL Phil Mendes, who was denied a religious exemption for the COVID vaccine, served as a witness at the task force’s first meeting. His role, and that of other witnesses and victims who stand against the injustice done to them and others, is a key one as the task force tackles bias.
According to a Justice Department news release about the meeting, Mendes refused to be administered the vaccine despite the Defense Department’s denial of his exemption request. For this, he was relieved of duty.
Will this task force be effective?
“As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the release.
“Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this Task Force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”
Bondi posted the opening minutes of the meeting to her X account.
🚨 BREAKING: First Meeting of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. pic.twitter.com/PRlqJO48MD
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) April 22, 2025
Trump’s executive order stipulates over a dozen other high-ranking directors and secretaries will serve on this task force.
Other attendees at the inaugural meeting include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez DeRemer, and other witnesses and officials.
Bondi posted a photo of the initial meeting’s attendees.
It is past time to end the anti-Christian weaponization of government started by the last administration!
As per @POTUS’s EO, the DOJ held the first Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias meeting today.
Thank you to my fellow Cabinet members for joining me in this fight to… pic.twitter.com/PmnLZBu2ss
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) April 22, 2025
The reversal may come as welcome news for Christians in America, but it should also serve as a reminder that Americans’ most basic freedoms are not to be tread upon.
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