Long Time Coming, Thank You President Trump

Guest Opinion by Perry O. Hooper Jr.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

This week at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, President Donald J. Trump stood before the Religious Liberty Commission and spoke words that many of us have longed to hear from our nation’s leaders. He reaffirmed what the Founders understood, what millions of Americans believe in their hearts, and what Scripture reminds us daily: that a nation cannot be truly great without acknowledging Almighty God.

For decades, we have watched as prayer was quietly pushed out of public schools, as classrooms shifted away from the moral and spiritual foundation that guided earlier generations. Instead, our children have too often been taught that faith is something to hide, something unwelcome, or worse, something shameful. But on September 8, President Trump made it clear that those days must come to an end. He announced that his Department of Education will issue guidance protecting prayer in public schools. This is more than a policy—it is a restoration of a sacred right that has been trampled for far too long.

Let us be clear: students already have the right to pray in school, but rights left undefended eventually wither away. What has been missing is the bold leadership to say, “We will protect this right, and we will not allow intimidation, misunderstanding, or hostility to silence faith in the public square.” For years, Christians have waited for such clarity. It has been a long time coming—but it is never too late.

President Trump spoke of the need to guard the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded. He reminded us that rights do not come from government; they come from God Himself. This truth is not only foundational to our Constitution, but it is also eternal. When a sitting U.S. Senator compares belief in God-given rights to the ideology of tyrants, we should tremble—not because faith is wrong, but because such a distortion shows how far we have strayed from the truth.

That senator was Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia. His claim that belief in God-given rights is somehow comparable to the ideology of the Iranian regime is not only misguided but deeply insulting to the very foundation of American liberty. It reveals just how disconnected some of our leaders have become from the truths this nation was built upon.

The President also pointed to the troubling rise of “anti-religious propaganda” in our schools and institutions. Too often, children are told that belief in God is outdated, that prayer is exclusionary, or that morality is relative. This is not education—it is indoctrination. But through the new guidance, the administration has an opportunity to turn the tide and affirm that faith is not only welcome but essential to the life of this Republic.

The moment was made even more moving when Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner closed with prayer and the President walked out to “Amazing Grace.” What a reminder that America has always been, and must remain, a nation that believes in the power of prayer.

We stand today at a crossroads. Our country faces division, uncertainty, and moral confusion. Yet as the President said, we are also at “the very beginning of a golden age.” The choice is ours: Will we return to God, or will we continue to walk away from Him?

I believe President Trump’s actions are a step in the right direction. They remind us that while we cannot change the past, we can redeem the future. It may have taken far too long for a leader to stand up and defend prayer in public schools, but thank God—it is never too late.

Perry O. Hooper Jr. is a longtime Alabama Republican figure, former Alabama Legislator and Montgomery businessman. He served as Co-Chair of “Alabama Trump Victory” in 2016, and served as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention. He is a noted civic leader in Montgomery with deep family roots in Alabama’s legal and political history.

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