7 Christians Shaping Trump’s Second-Term Cabinet

Scott Turner, associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church of Plano and former professional football player, was confirmed as the 19th HUD secretary in a Senate vote of 55-44 last week and was sworn in by Supreme Court Clarence Thomas.

As reported by The Christian Post, Prestonwood Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jack Graham called Turner a "son' in the ministry" and a "servant of God" as he celebrated the news on social media. 

Ben Carson, who served as HUD secretary in Trump's first administration also celebrated the news of Turner's confirmation.

"Scott is a true man of God who has been blessed with the unique ability to lead. He will undoubtedly inspire hope into the hearts of those he serves and those he serves with," he wrote. "God bless, Mr. Secretary. I will always have your back!"

Turner, who was nominated last November,  previously served in the first Trump administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

In his first statement as HUD Secretary, Turner stated that the government "must reduce burdensome regulations to make homeownership easier while unleashing prosperity that has been stifled in communities across the country for far too long."

"God blessed us with this great nation, and together, we can increase self-sufficiency and empower Americans to climb the economic ladder toward a brighter future," he concluded.

Photo Credit: ©X/Jack Graham

Russell Vought was also confirmed last week to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who had previously served in the role in Trump's first presidency. 

A self-professed Christian nationalist, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America in 2021 and also played a significant role in the creation of Project 2025, a joint effort by conservative coalitions led by the Heritage Foundation to push conservative policies to reform the federal government. 

"God be praised. Grateful to the President and the U.S. Senate. Incredibly thankful for all the many who prayed me through. Now. Let's. Go," Vought wrote following his confirmation in the Senate. 

Vought is also a graduate of the evangelical school Wheaton College in Chicago, which retracted its congratulations to the alumni after receiving backlash on social media. 

"The recognition and prayer is something we would typically do for any graduate who reached that level of government," Wheaton said in a statement. "However, the political situation surrounding [Vought's] appointment led to a significant concern expressed online. It was not our intention to embroil the College in a political discussion or dispute." 

The College added that "as a non-profit institution, [it] does not make political endorsements," even though its congratulatory message was not at all partisan" in light of its institutional and theological commitments. 

"Wheaton's focus is on Christ and His kingdom," the school concluded. 

Wheaton's retraction of their congratulatory message to Vought was met with criticism for caving into the woke mob. 

"Sad!" Vought wrote in response to his alma mater. 

Photo Credit: ©X/russvought

Paula White-Cain was appointed by Trump last week to lead his "White House Faith Office." 

"In the last 40 years, White-Cain has expanded her influence globally in almost 200 countries, ministering, fighting for religious freedom and humanitarian rights, and advocating for the voiceless," The White House said in a statement. 

She previously served in Trump's first administration chair of the evangelical advisory board to Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and in 2019, as special advisor to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative at the Office of Public Liaison.

White-Cain was also the first female clergy member to deliver the invocation at Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017. 

Trump's appointment of White-Cain to lead White House Faith Office sparked outrage and criticism from many Christians online who argued that she is a heretic due to her support of prosperity theology as well as being a female pastor. 

"This is the worst decision President Trump has made since taking office… Paula White is a heretic, who pedals the prosperity gospel. Plus, women should not be pastors according to The Bible," Conservative commentator Jon Root wrote on X. 

Scott Ross, an Orthodox Christian, and a Texas-based leadership coach denounced Trump's decision as "an abomination."

"Paula White, head of Trump's White House Faith Office, is no Christian leader," he wrote. "She preaches the heresies of Word of Faith & Prosperity Gospel, both utterly opposed to authentic Christianity. Worse, she has lived a life of scandal, with multiple husbands, twisting the Gospel for profit."

"Arguably, this is the worst and most dangerous thing President Trump has done—putting a false teacher at the helm of faith outreach. Lord, have mercy on our country and this administration," he continued. 

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine..." (2 Tim. 4:3)

Ross' post included a viral clip of White-Cain from November 2020 when she led an impassioned prayer service to secure Trump's re-election following his loss to Joe Biden.

"I hear a sound of victory, the Lord says it is done," she said at the time, including speaking in tongues. "For angels have even been dispatched from Africa right now... In the name of Jesus from South America, they're coming here."

Photo Credit: ©Instagram/Paulamichellewhite 

Kristi Noem, who is the 8th Secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of South Dakota (2019-2025), is a professing Christian and has attended Foursquare Family Worship Center in Watertown, South Dakota, with her family. 

She rose to national prominence during her gubernatorial tenure in 2020 for opposing mask mandates and business shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Noem has also advocated for prayer in schools and banning transgender athletes competing against biological women in sports.

"My relationship with the Lord is my foundation in all things," Kristi stated in a South Dakota Public Broadcasting article, according to God Reports. "As a result, the values I hold according to biblical principles impact my decisions: we are called to love, but we're also instructed to stand for truth."

In her memoir, "Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland," she shared that she believes her entering politics was part of God's plan. 

On her campaign website, Noem is quoted as saying, "I want to be obedient to whatever God has called me to do."

Photo Credit: ©Instagram/kristinoem

U.S. Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hesgeth is currently serving as the 29th United States secretary of defense under Trump's second administration. During his Senate confirmation hearing last month, pushback from Democrat Senators concerning Hesgeth's past assault allegation, a claim that Hegseth denies, drinking habits, his views on women in combat, as well as breaking his marriage vows– with his wife seated just behind him.

In that same hearing, Hegseth attributed glory to God during his opening statement.

"All Glory, regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His grace and mercy abound each day. MAY HIS WILL BE DONE," he stated. 

According to Christianity Today, Hegseth is a member of Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship in Tennessee, which is associated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, cofounded by Idaho-based pastor Doug Wilson. 

"Thankful the Lord raised this brother up to serve in such a vital capacity. Our country just got a whole lot safer and a whole lot saner. What a grace," Hegesth's pastor, Brooke Potteiger, wrote on social media last month. 

Despite growing up Baptist, Hegseth told a Tennessee magazine he had a "Christian veneer but a secular core" until his late 30s.

Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Pete Hegseth

Last week, Doug Collins, a lawyer, politician, and Air Force veteran was confirmed to serve as the 12th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs since 2025 last week. He also served as the senior pastor for Chicopee Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia, for 11 years, and holds a Master degree in divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, according to the Illinois Baptist Newsjournal. 

Collins, who attends Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville, has served as a Southern Baptist chaplain in the Air Force Reserve military chaplain since 2002, including serving for two years as a U.S. Navy chaplain and later joining the U.S. Air Force Reserve. In 2008, Collins was deployed to Iraq and remains in the Air Force Reserves with the rank of colonel.

Photo Credit: ©Instagram/dougcollinsga

Former Republican governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee was nominated by Trump as the United States ambassador to Israel. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and currently hosts the talk show Huckabee on the Christian-broadcast network TBN, which previously aired on Fox News.

As reported by Christian Today, Huckabee attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary but didn't complete his master's degree. He worked as a pastor in Arkansas for 12 years and has played bass guitar at his church. 

Huckabee also ran in the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections as a Republican. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, currently serves as governor of Arkansas and previously served as White House Press Secretary in Trump's first administration.

According to Christianity Today, Trump's cabinet also includes members who are Catholic, including Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Central Intelligence Agency director (CIA) John Ratcliffe; Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon, Transportation nominee and former congressman Sean Duffy; Labor nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer; HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Small Business Administration chief nominee Kelly Loeffler; and United Nations ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik.

Michael Krastios, who is Trump's nominee for Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to the President, is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. 

Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Idaho Family Policy Center