Donald Trump Claims Massive 'Revival Of Faith' Among Youth, Demands Immediate Ban On Minor Transitions

President Donald Trump told lawmakers in Washington on 24 February that a 'revival of faith' is taking hold among young Americans, then used his State of the Union address to demand an immediate ban on gender transitions for minors.​

Baptist Press described the speech as nearly two hours long and the longest State of the Union in 60 years, with Trump urging voters to keep Republicans in control of Congress in this year's midterms. It was part sermon, part campaign pitch, and the biggest assertions should be read as claims rather than settled fact.​

Trump framed the country as reborn. 'Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,' he said, calling America 'the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face on the earth' and promising, 'you've seen nothing yet'.​

The House chamber, Baptist Press reported, was fractious. Democrats shouted back at points, and Al Green, a Texas congressman, was escorted out after holding up a sign protesting a Trump social media post that included a racist image.​

The Revival Of Faith Claim And The Politics Behind It

Trump's religious message was blunt. 'There has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God,' he said, adding, 'This is especially true among young people'.​

He linked that 'revival of faith' to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing Kirk as a friend and citing his assassination in September as a catalyst. Kirk's widow, Erika, attended the speech, as Trump urged Americans to 'reaffirm that America is one nation under God' while also saying the country must 'totally reject political violence of any kind'.​

It is also a convenient political frame, because it makes disagreement sound like sabotage.

Revival Of Faith And Trump's Demand To Ban Minor Transitions

Trump's most pointed cultural demand came through the story of Sage Blair, introduced as a guest and used as a warning about what he says state systems are doing to children. Blair, Trump said, was 14 when 'school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding her from her parents'.​

Trump said Blair later ran away from home, and that a Maryland judge refused to return her to her parents and placed her in a state facility for boys. He told Congress she is now 'embracing her identity as a woman' and has a scholarship to attend Liberty University.​

Then he drove the point home. 'Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents' arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents' will,' Trump said. 'We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately.'​

The speech did not provide evidence beyond Trump's description of what happened, so the underlying facts remain disputed unless and until a public record is produced.

Trump moved to in vitro fertilisation with an almost pastoral tone, praising what he called the decreasing cost of IVF drugs under agreements his administration negotiated with pharmaceutical companies. He recognised Catherine Rayner, a woman undergoing IVF treatment, and told her, 'We are all praying for you, and you are going to be a great mom'.​

Baptist Press noted the moment may not have resonated with some evangelicals, pointing to a 2024 Southern Baptist Convention resolution on reproductive technologies affirming the value of every human life and urging Southern Baptists to use reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation, especially in the number of embryos generated in the IVF process.​

Elsewhere, Trump said he has secured the border and urged Congress to restore full funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which he said Democrats are blocking over demands for reforms to immigration enforcement practices. He referenced alleged fraud in Minnesota, claiming billions were stolen through fraudulent use of state-run social service programmes, and said Vice President J D Vance will lead a 'war on fraud'.​

On foreign policy, Trump referred to negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme and claimed the Iranian government has killed more than 32,000 protestors. 'My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,' he said, adding that he would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.​

Trump said he has helped halt eight wars in his second term, including Israel and Hamas, and he cited the death this week of Mexican drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and the January arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.​

He ended on providence, not process. 'Our destiny is written by the hand of providence,' Trump said, calling America's first 250 years 'just the beginning'.