TheGod Bless the U.S.A. Bible, also known as theTrump Bible, is ananthology or compilation of texts—some of them deliberately incomplete—in the realm ofAmerican Civil Religion[1] andTrumpism,[a] containing an edition of theKing James Version of theChristian Bible, alongside texts related to the foundation and politics of theUnited States such as a purposely incomplete version of theConstitution of the United States, theDeclaration of Independence, and thePledge of Allegiance. The compilation was created bycountry music singer-songwriterLee Greenwood and first published in 2021. It was later marketed byDonald Trump underhis brand name and promoted as part of his2024 presidential campaign.
In May 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the2001 attack on theWorld Trade Center in New York, Greenwood published a "God Bless the U.S.A." edition of the Bible. It has theU.S. flag on its leather cover and includes texts of theDeclaration of Independence, theConstitution before amendments, theBill of Rights, thePledge of Allegiance, and the chorus of Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" in Greenwood's own handwriting.[10][11] It is a product ofAmerican Civil Religion[1] andTrumpism.[a] TheBible translation was intended to be theNew International Version,[12] butZondervan, the division ofHarperCollins which owns the rights to the New International Version, withheld them after multiple public complaints, and theKing James Version was used instead, as it is in thepublic domain in the United States.[13]
The book created further controversy in 2024 when then-former PresidentDonald Trump promoted a new edition.[14] In March, Trump began promoting the Bible at aprice point of $60, the website selling the book calling it "the only Bible endorsed by" Trump and that his "name, likeness and image" are being used under paid license from one of Trump's organizations, CIC Ventures LLC.[15][16]
The website also lists themed editions (e.g., "Pink & Gold," "Patriot," "Veteran") priced at US $74.99–$99.99, and a limited "President Donald J. Trump Signature Edition Bible" for US $1,000.[17]
Trump's 2025financial disclosure included royalty payments amounting to $1,306,035 for his endorsement of Greenwood’s Bible.[18]
The creation and sale of this Bible version has drawn criticism from various quarters due to its incorporation of documents specific to a single country, and assertions it is an effort to profit from a religious text.[11]Charlotte, North Carolina,Evangelicalpastor Loran Livingston drew national attention when he preached a sermon denouncing the Trump Bible as "blasphemous" and "disgusting" for tying scripture to American politics.[19][20]Baptist minister andYouTube Bible reviewer Tim Wildsmith's review of the Trump Bible amassed over 500,000 views, as he called it "overpriced," "a money grab," and "a really cheap[ly made] Bible that did not cost them very much money to make.”[21] Wildsmith found sticky pages that ripped when he tried to separate these, while theletter spacing was too tight to make it legible.[22][23] The Trump Bible was also noted to be missingConstitutional amendments 11–27.[24]
In June 2024, Oklahoma StateSuperintendent of SchoolsRyan Walters issued a memo announcing that all public schools inOklahoma would be required to teach theBible, including theTen Commandments, directing "that every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."[25][26] In September 2024, Walters opened bids to supply theOklahoma State Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. The bid documents required that "Biblesmust be the King James Version; must contain theOld andNew Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material." Under these conditions, the only eligible versions are Greenwood’s Bible and another also endorsed byDonald Trump Jr.[27] The two versions are sold for $60 and $90 despite far cheaper or free versions of the Bible being readily accessible.[27][28] Multiple state legislators and a state school board member criticized Walters' proposal on both legal and constitutional grounds.[29] FormerOklahoma Attorney GeneralDrew Edmondson said that the request for proposals was not genuinelycompetitive and thus might violate state law.[27]Democratic state senatorMary Boren criticized Walters'RFP as a flagrant violation of theseparation of church and state (as guaranteed by thestate’s Constitution), and for favoring the KJV over other Bible translations (such as theLatin Catholic Bible,New International Version, orEnglish Standard Version).[29] Days after the criticisms arose, the RFP was revised to say the American founding documents may be included within or separately from the text of the Bible. Walters stated in a video, "Theleft-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening."[30]
TheAssociated Press reported in October 2024 that nearly 120,000 copies of the Bible were printed inHangzhou, China, and shipped to the United States earlier in the year, at a cost of less than $3 per book.[22]
CBS News reported that, along with Trump's other ventures during his campaign, the Bible raises potentialconflicts of interest as they could be considered a campaign contribution.[23]
Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China's eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States between early February and late March. The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that use customs data to track exports and imports.
Selling products at prices that exceed their value may be considered a campaign contribution, said Claire Finkelstein, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. 'You have to assume that everything that the individual does is being done as a candidate and so that any money that flows through to him benefits him as a candidate,' Finkelstein said. 'Suppose Vladimir Putin were to buy a Trump watch. Is that a campaign finance violation? I would think so.'
