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God Bless the U.S.A. Bible

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"Trump Bible" redirects here. For the Trump Bible photo in 2020, see Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church.
Cover of the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, featuring an American flag motif

The God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, also known as the Trump Bible, is an edition of the King James Version of the Christian Bible containing additional content specifically relating to the United States. The compilation was created by country music singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood and first published in 2021. It was later marketed by Donald Trump under his brand name and promoted as part of his 2024 presidential campaign.

History

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In May 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Greenwood published a "God Bless the U.S.A." edition of the Bible. It has the U.S. flag on its leather cover and includes the texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution before amendments, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the chorus of Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" in Greenwood's handwriting.[1][2] The text of the Bible was intended to be the New International Version,[3] but Zondervan, the division of HarperCollins that owns the rights to the New International Version, withheld them after multiple public complaints, and the King James Version was used, which is in the public domain in the United States.[4]

The book created further controversy in 2024 when former president Donald Trump promoted a new edition of it.[5] In March, Trump began promoting the book at a price point of $60. The website selling the Bible bills it as "the only Bible endorsed by" Trump and that his "name, likeness and image" are being used under paid license from one of Trump's organizations, CIC Ventures LLC.[6][7]

Criticism

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The creation and sale of this version of the Bible has drawn criticism from various quarters due to its incorporation of documents specific to a single country, and assertions that it gives the appearance of an effort to profiteer off of a text of religious significance.[2] Charlotte, North Carolina, evangelical pastor Loran Livingston drew national attention when he gave a sermon denouncing the Trump Bible as "blasphemous" and "disgusting" for tying the Bible to American politics.[8][9] YouTube Bible reviewer Tim Wildsmith's review of the Bible, where he described it as "overpriced," "a money grab," and "a really cheap[ly-made] Bible that did not cost them very much money to make," amassed over 500,000 views.[10] Wildsmith found sticky pages that ripped when the reader tried to separate them, and said the letters were packed too tightly to easily read.[11][12] The Trump Bible was noted to be missing amendments 11–27 to the Constitution.[13]

In June 2024, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters issued a memo announcing that all public schools in Oklahoma would be required to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, directing "that every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."[14][15] In September 2024, Walters opened bids to supply the Oklahoma Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. The bid documents required that "Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material." Under these conditions, this Bible and another endorsed by Donald Trump Jr. are the only versions eligible.[16] The two versions are sold for $60 and $90; free or far cheaper versions of the Bible are readily accessible.[16][17] Multiple state legislators and a state school board member criticized Walters' proposal on legal and constitutional grounds.[18] Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said that the request for proposals was not genuinely competitive and thus might violate state law.[16] Democratic state senator Mary Boren criticized Walters' RFP as a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state (as guaranteed by the state Constitution), and for favoring the KJV over other Bible translations (such as the Latin Catholic Bible, New International Version, or English Standard Version).[18] Days after the criticisms arose, the RFP was revised to say the American founding documents may be included within or separately from the Bible. Walters stated in a video, "The left-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening."[19]

The Associated Press reported in October 2024 that nearly 120,000 copies of the Bible were printed in Hangzhou, China, and shipped to the United States earlier in the year, at a cost of less than $3 per book.[11]

CBS News reported that, along with Trump's other ventures during his campaign, it raises potential conflicts of interest as they could be considered a campaign contribution.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "God Bless the USA Bible". God Bless the USA Bible. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Willingham, A. J. (March 28, 2024). "Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible". CNN. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  3. ^ Meyer, Holly (May 18, 2021). "Lee Greenwood's hit song inspires new 'God Bless the USA Bible' including America's founding documents". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Olmstead, Molly (September 15, 2021). "The Uproar over the 'Ultimate American Bible'". Slate. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Treisman, Rachel (March 27, 2024). "Cash-strapped Trump is now selling $60 Bibles, U.S. Constitution included". NPR. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Gold, Michael; Haberman, Maggie (March 26, 2024). "Trump's Newest Venture? A $60 Bible". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Colvin, Jill (March 26, 2024). "Trump is selling 'God Bless the USA' Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Marusak, Joe (April 27, 2024). "Charlotte evangelical pastor in national spotlight, called Trump Bible 'disgusting'". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  9. ^ Foley, Ryan (April 26, 2024). "North Carolina pastor calls Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible 'blasphemous' in viral sermon". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Wildsmith, Tim (April 3, 2024). "God Bless the USA Bible: An Honest Review of the Bible Endorsed by Donald Trump". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Lardner, Richard; Kang, Dake (October 9, 2024). "Trump has long blasted China's trade practices. His 'God Bless the USA' Bibles were printed there". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Trump is a critic of China's trade practices. His "God Bless the USA" Bibles were printed there". CBS News. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024. Selling products at prices that exceed their value may be considered a campaign contribution, said Claire Finkelstein, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
    'You have to assume that everything that the individual does is being done as a candidate and so that any money that flows through to him benefits him as a candidate,' Finkelstein said. 'Suppose Vladimir Putin were to buy a Trump watch. Is that a campaign finance violation? I would think so.'
  13. ^ Patrice, Joe (May 16, 2024). "$60 Trump Bibles Include U.S. Constitution... Minus All The 'Equal Protection' Or 'Presidential Term Limits' Stuff". Above the Law. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Mervosh, Sarah; Dias, Elizabeth (June 27, 2024). "Oklahoma's State Superintendent Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Salam, Erum (June 27, 2024). "Oklahoma state superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Palmer, Jennifer; Monies, Paul; Warlick, Heather (October 4, 2024). "'Trump Bible' one of few that meet Walters' criteria for Oklahoma classrooms". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Kilgore, Ed (October 4, 2024). "Oklahoma Wants a Trump Bible in Every Public School Classroom". New York. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Humphrey, Spencer (September 27, 2024). "State school board member, lawmakers raise legal concerns over Walters' proposed Bible purchases". KFOR. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Miller, Ken (October 8, 2024). "Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump". Associated Press. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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