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Donald Trump announced the creation of a new White House Faith Office, appointing Reverend Paula White as its head. He made the announcement at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 6, aiming to address "anti-Christian bias."
White, a well-known televangelist and Trump's long-time spiritual advisor, previously led the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative in 2018. At the event, she referred to Trump as "the people's president" and "the greatest champion of religion of any president."
Early on in her career, Paula was a champion for the African-American community and served as the personal religious advisor to celebrities including pop legend Michael Jackson and MLB star Darryl Strawberry. Later, in 2020, she also supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
However, after Donald Trump lost the 2020 elections, she reportedly changed her stance to anti-BLM. In November of that year, Paula White had stated:
“Christ’s likeness is not found in my gender, it is not found in my culture, it is not found in my ethnicity, it is not found in KKK, it is not found in Antifa, and it is not found in Black Lives Matter. All of which are anti-Christ, and even terrorist organizations.”
Now, in the wake of her appointment as the head of the White House Faith Office, her complicated relationship with the Black community has resurfaced with the internet putting Donald Trump under fire for his selection. Here are some of the comments from the social networking site X:
“Omg. Just when you think you’ve seen everything. Does that mean he will stop slamming Joe Biden and she will teach him ways to handle his insecurities regarding him?” a person asked.
“Well, this is not good. Who advised him that this was a good idea?” a netizen asked.
“Someone needs to tell Trump this woman is a false prophet/teacher. And he should stay away from her. If he is serious about salvation, he should look for a minister who teaches the Word of God. He does not have discernment in spiritual matters,” a user wrote.
“Her again??? Uuuuugh WHHHHY,” an individual wrote.
“Paula White is a close friend of Trump, but her theology and ‘ministry’ is extremely questionable,” wrote another.
Over the years, Paula has faced other controversies such as fasting for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, wearing a tallit, observing Passover, and saying “blood of Jesus protects” Christians.
During Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, she said during one of her sermons that “demonic confederacies” were trying to steal the election. Her words and actions have thus made several orthodox Christian leaders describe her as “heretic.”
All you need to know about Paula White amid her appointment as White House Faith Office head
According to her official website, Paula White is a pastor at StoryLife Church and the founder-president of the global media ministry, Paula White Ministries, which has its headquarters in Apopka, Florida. She is also the president of the National Faith Advisory Board (founded in 2021) and the City of Destiny.
Paula embraced the Holy Bible at the age of 18 after a difficult childhood and soon began preaching the word of God. She began her spiritual career in the late 80s while being a minister around Washington D.C. By the early 90s, she had served in post-riot Los Angeles and been part of humanitarian missions. Later, she led mega-churches across the USA.
White hosts her nationally syndicated Christian TV show, Paula Today, previously called Paula White Today which began in the early 2000s on BET. Over the years, she has offered “invocations of note” during ceremonies such as the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 2008 and has presented at Maya Angelou’s 80th birthday party.
Besides being a reverend, Paula is a life coach, author, gospel teacher, and motivational/ demand speaker who has won multiple accolades including the Rosa Parks Award, the Trumpet Award, and the Florida Governor’s Award for her service during the 2016 Pulse nightclub shootings.
Paula White was hired as special advisor to the Office of Public Liason during Donald Trump’s first term in the Oval Office. She also served as the chairwoman on the evangelical advisory board during Trump’s 2016 presidential election and delivered the invocation at his debut inauguration in 2017.
Throughout her career, Paula has credited Pastor T.D. Jakes as her spiritual influence. However, her anti-BLM stance strained her relationship with the Black Church community as well as Pastor Jakes. During a June 2021 interview with the online journal Current, he shared:
“I wouldn’t describe her as a mentee. She had had years of ministry experience before she met me. During the period when she was working closely with me, President Trump wasn’t an issue.”
T.D. Jakes added: “…by the time she had moved into that area, I don’t think that she really considered herself a mentee of mine. We certainly still have an amicable relationship, but our views on politics are certainly different. And she knows that.”
In July 2018, Paula White spoke about immigration, refuted the theory that Jesus Christ was an illegal immigrant, and defended Trump’s family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border. During a chat with the Christian Broadcast Network, she explained:
“I think so many people have taken biblical scriptures out of context on this, to say stuff like, ‘Well, Jesus was a refugee.’ … Yes, [Jesus] did live in Egypt for three-and-a-half years. But it was not illegal. If He had broken the law then He would have been sinful and He would not have been our Messiah.”
The 57-year-old pastor White is married to Jonathan Cain, a member of the Rock-and-roll Hall of Fame band, Journey.
The National Prayer Breakfast where President Donald Trump announced Reverand and televangelist Paula White as the head of White House Faith Office was held at the Fellowship Foundation in Washington Hilton on Tuesday, February 4. The annual meeting is meant to unite bipartisan members of Congress, faith leaders, and businessmen for prayer and discussion.
