President Donald Trump posted a profanity-laced threat against Iran early Easter Sunday morning, then skipped church services to golf and tour Washington D.C., prompting a White House scramble to highlight Christian imagery hours later.

Explosive Easter Morning Threats

Trump posted a message on Truth Social shortly after 8 a.m. Easter Sunday, declaring Tuesday would be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day” in Iran. “Open the Strait, you crazy [expletives], or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” the president wrote, adding a reference to Allah. The post targeted Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route. In a Fox News phone interview, Trump told correspondent Trey Yingst he’s “considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil” if Iran refuses to negotiate.

Presidential Easter Without Church

Trump abandoned Easter church services on Christianity’s holiest day, instead hosting an Easter dinner with First Lady Melania Trump and taking a motorcade tour around Memorial Circle near his planned presidential arch construction site. The tour included a stop at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. The decision to skip church while posting inflammatory foreign policy threats drew immediate criticism from religious conservatives who form a key part of Trump’s political base.

White House Damage Control

Hours after the controversial posts, the White House shifted strategy by posting videos of artist Vanessa Horabuena painting Jesus Christ. “Vanessa is AMAZING!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The White House reposted the content. Multiple government agencies then posted Easter messages celebrating Christ’s resurrection, an unusual departure from typical departmental communications. The State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Pentagon, and Justice Department all shared religious Easter content. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted “He is risen,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote about standing “firm in faith, courage, and truth.”

Trump’s Religious Anxieties

The president, raised Presbyterian, has publicly expressed doubts about reaching heaven. In October, he told reporters, “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound.” He repeated similar concerns in February during a Georgia rally, stating, “I hope to make it. But I doubt I will, to be honest with you.” Horabuena previously painted Jesus at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party, where her 10-minute portrait sold for $2.75 million at auction.