President Trump Announces Religious Liberty Commission Members

From the White House Office of Communications

Today, the President signed an Executive Order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission during the National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden. President Trump designated the following individuals to serve on the Religious Liberty Commission.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (Chair). Dan Patrick was first elected Lt. Governor of Texas in 2014 and then re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He previously spent over 40 years in the media as a television anchor, conservative talk show host, and successful radio station owner. Lt. Governor Patrick led the Texas Senate in passing legislation to end the teaching of critical race theory in public schools, abolish DEI practices in our universities, place “In God We Trust” in the Texas Senate, and add “Under God” to the state pledge of allegiance. He produced the awarding winning film, “The Heart of Texas.” That film led him to start a four-year seminary program in Texas prisons in 2011. The program is now the largest in the world. In 2002, long before he was in office, Lt. Gov. Patrick wrote The Second Most Important Book You Will Ever Read, a challenge to read the most important book ever written, the Bible.

Dr. Ben Carson (Vice Chair). Rising from poverty to become one of the most renowned pediatric neurosurgeons in the world, Dr. Ben Carson served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the first Trump Administration. Dr. Carson is the founder of the American Cornerstone Institute. His most recent book, The Perilous Fight, outlines what needs to be done to restore the foundations of family in America.

Ryan T. Anderson. Ryan Anderson, Ph.D., is the President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author or co-author of five books, including several related to religious liberty. Anderson received his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and his doctoral degree in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to leading the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Anderson serves as the John Paul II Teaching Fellow in Social Thought at the University of Dallas.

Bishop Robert Barron. Author, speaker, and theologian, Bishop Robert Barron reaches millions of people around the world through his Word on Fire ministry, a Catholic media nonprofit that produces podcasts, videos, books, articles, and Gospel meditations. Since 2023, Bishop Barron has served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota.

Carrie Prejean Boller. Former Miss California USA and Miss USA first runner-up in 2009, Boller is the author of Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Cardinal Timothy Dolan is the Archbishop of New York. A member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America, Cardinal Dolan previously served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and also completed terms as chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life activities and the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty.

Pastor Franklin Graham. Pastor Franklin Graham is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an organization that provides disaster relief and medical aid around the globe.

Allyson Ho. Partner at Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, Allyson Ho has established herself as one of the United States’ premier appellate lawyers. She has presented over 100 oral arguments in federal and state courts nationwide, including five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dr. Phil McGraw. The longtime host of Dr. Phil and bestselling author, Dr. McGraw holds a doctorate in psychology. His most recent book, We’ve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America’s Soul and Sanity, encourages Americans to reclaim the principles of hard work, independence, faith, and ingenuity.

Eric Metaxas. Writer, speaker, and radio host, Eric Metaxas has written dozens of books, including the national bestseller, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. The story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was so beloved by readers that it was made into a major motion picture. Metaxas has testified before Congress on the global rise of anti-Semitism and been awarded the Canterbury Medal by the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom.

Kelly Shackelford. President and Chief Executive Officer of First Liberty Institute, Shackelford is a constitutional scholar who has argued before the United States Supreme Court, winning numerous landmark religious liberty cases. Shackelford has testified before Congress on religious liberty issues and served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Law School.

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik is Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel—the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. He also serves as the Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University, and as a Senior Scholar at the Tikvah Fund. Rabbi Soloveichik has lectured internationally on topics relating to faith in America, the Hebraic roots of the American founding, Jewish theology, bioethics, wartime ethics, Jewish-Christian relations, and more. His recent book, Providence and Power: Ten Portraits in Jewish Statesmanship, profiles some of the great Jewish leaders throughout history.

Pastor Paula White. Pastor Paula White is the founder and president of Paula White Ministries and the National Faith Advisory Board. She is the overseer and a teaching pastor at StoryLife Church in greater Orlando, Florida. Pastor White was an advisor to President Donald Trump in the Faith and Opportunity Initiative during his first term in office, and now she serves as the Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office.