Religious persecution came to a head under former President Joe Biden's administration, weaponizing the government to imprison pro-life protesters and censoring Americans for holding views they deemed unorthodox.
But under President Donald Trump's new administration, Vice President JD Vance outlined all the efforts that have already been made to eliminate the religious persecution pushed by predecessors.
'How did America get to the point where we're sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe?'
"We are only in the third week of his second term, but I think it's safe to say we've accomplished maybe more in the last two weeks than a lot of administrations have in a few years," Vance said during his remarks at the International Religious Freedom Summit on Wednesday. "But this administration is intent on not just restoring but on expanding the achievements of the first four years and certainly of the last two weeks."
"In this short period, the president has issued orders to end the weaponization of the federal government against religious Americans, pardon pro-life protesters who were unjustly imprisoned under the last administration, and importantly, stop the federal censorship used to prevent Americans from speaking their conscience and speaking their mind, whether it's in their communities or online," Vance added.
Vance reiterated the administration's dedication to religious liberty, referring to recent scandals that revealed egregious instances of government overreach and misuse of taxpayer dollars to push anti-American agendas across the globe.
"Now, our administration believes we must stand for religious freedom, not just as a legal principle as important as that is, but as a lived reality, both within our own borders and especially outside of it," Vance said. "In recent years, too often has our nation's international engagement on religious liberty issues been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity. Think about this: How did America get to the point where we're sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe?"
"That is not what leadership on protecting the rights of the faithful looks like, and it ends with this administration," Vance added.
Vance pointed to key players in the administration who will work to bolster religious freedom, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vance noted that Rubio, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, holds a "dedication of religious liberty" that "flows from his faith," calling him one of the "great living champions of religious freedom across the globe."
Notably, Rubio has taken over as acting director of USAID, which previously dedicated tens of millions of dollars of funding to anti-American programs and anti-Christian NGOs around the world.
"Both at home and abroad, we have much more to do to more fully secure religious liberty for all people of faith," Vance said. "I am grateful for the painstaking work that everyone in this room has poured into that effort, and I pray that together, we will be able to better protect the dignity of all peoples, as well as the rights of all believers to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience."
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President Donald Trump revoked security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to the New York Times.
Although Pompeo's security detail was recently renewed by the Biden administration due to persistent threats from Iran, Trump has reportedly rescinded his detail. Trump also allegedly revoked the security for his former top aide, Brian Hook, who was similarly afforded protections due to Iranian threats. Their security details were reportedly revoked on Tuesday.
'The American people can judge for themselves which President made the right call.'
This decision came the day after Trump also rescinded the U.S. Secret Service detail for John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser in his first administration.
"I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection previously provided by the United States Secret Service," Bolton said in a statement Tuesday. "Notwithstanding my criticisms of President Biden's national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to extend that protection to me in 2021."
"The Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in 2022 for attempting to hire a hit man to target me," Bolton added. "That threat remains today, as also demonstrated by the recent arrest of someone trying to arrange for President Trump's own assassination. The American people can judge for themselves which President made the right call."
Notably, senior U.S. officials are not automatically granted security details, apart from former presidents and their spouses. Security details are left to the discretion of the current administration.
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Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of State, slammed the "liberal world order" that has permeated our foreign policy since the Cold War era.
During the hearing, Rubio called out the globalist worldview that he claims has thrown the West into massive instability. As a result of this "liberal world order," the West has endured crippling trade policies and destabilizing levels of mass migration.
'Across the West, governments censor and even prosecute domestic political opponents. Meanwhile, radical jihadists openly march in the streets and drive vehicles into our people.'
"Out of the triumphalism of the end of the long Cold War emerged a bipartisan consensus," Rubio said. "And this consensus was that we had reached the end of history, that all of the nations of the world would now become members of the Western-like community, that a foreign policy that served the national interest could not be replaced by one that served a liberal world order, and that all mankind was now destined to abandon national sovereignty and national identity and would instead become one human family and citizens of the world."
"This wasn't just a fantasy," Rubio added. "It was a dangerous delusion."
As a result, this "dangerous delusion" sent many counties in the West, including the United States, into a tailspin.
"Here in America, an almost religious commitment to free and unfettered trade at the expense of our national economy shrunk the middle class, left the working class in crisis, collapsed our industrial capacity, and has pushed critical supply chains into the hands of adversaries and rivals," Rubio said. "An irrational zeal for maximum freedom of movement of people has resulted in a historic mass migration crisis that threatens the stability of societies and governments."
"Across the West, governments censor and even prosecute domestic political opponents," Rubio added. "Meanwhile, radical jihadists openly march in the streets and drive vehicles into our people."
Rubio also addressed the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which erupted during President Joe Biden's administration in 2022. Like Trump, Rubio has committed to working to end the war, demanding that both sides make concessions.
“It’s unacceptable," Rubio said. "This war has to end. There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation but also by the Ukrainians.”
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Now that Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla has been chosen as Trump’s secretary of state, his Senate seat is open. Governor DeSantis is charged with appointing his replacement.
One of the names that has been floated to fill Rubio’s seat is Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Today, Lara joined Liz Wheeler, host of “The Liz Wheeler Show,” to discuss the possibility.
“Is this going to happen? Do you want to be the next senator of Florida?” Liz asked.
“Obviously, this is up to Governor Ron DeSantis, and we’ll see who he ultimately feels is the right fit for the seat, but look – they’re big shoes to fill, obviously. Marco Rubio has held this Senate seat for a long time, and he really has the trust of the people of the state of Florida,” Lara responded, praising DeSantis for turning Florida from a swing state into a reliably red state.
“Now whether or not he wants me to be appointed to this position, obviously that's his decision to make, but here's what I can tell you: It has really been an honor to serve in the capacity that I have as co-chair of the RNC,” she told Liz.
“If I am asked to serve as the next senator from the state of Florida, it would truly be an honor. I have yet to be asked that, and we'll see what happens, but it would be something that I would absolutely consider doing,” she added.
“So you would say yes if Governor DeSantis said, ‘Do you want to be the next Senator from the state of Florida?”’ Liz asked.
“I would say yes,” she confirmed.
To hear more of their conversation, including about President Donald J. Trump's transition efforts and how the RNC enacted election integrity in Pennsylvania and beyond, watch the episode above.
To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
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