Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders are cautiously optimistic about the incoming Trump administration, with some expressing hope for a positive direction while others are wary of the president-elect’s actions.
Rabbi Jo David of New York City said that there is a mixed reaction among Jewish communities, with some feeling optimistic and others feeling extremely concerned. Haris Tarin, vice president of policy and programming at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said that there is a sense of skeptical optimism among the Muslim community.
Lorenzo Sewell, senior pastor at 180 Church in Detroit, believes that Trump has the opportunity to go down as the greatest president in history if he plays his cards right. Samuel Rodriguez, lead pastor at New Season and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, echoed the sense of hope, saying that he believes the administration will prioritize protecting religious freedom and empowering faith communities.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and director of Global Social Action at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said that antisemitism, particularly on social media and college campuses, and the “embrace of the Hamas narrative” are a top priority for the Jewish community. He hopes that the incoming administration will take a different approach and end the billions of dollars in sanction relief given to Iran.
Tarin said that the biggest hope among the Muslim community is that there is not a repeat of the 2020 order that prevented people from certain Muslim countries from coming to the U.S. He also hopes that the administration will protect the civil rights and civil liberties of American Muslims and work towards a cease-fire in the Middle East.
The faith leaders expressed varying levels of optimism and concern about the incoming administration, with some hoping for a positive direction and others being wary of the president-elect’s actions.