PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - President Donald Trump attended Easter service at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea near his estate in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday - an annual ritual that provided a break from a host of foreign policy crises, including escalating tensions with North Korea.
The president attended the service with his wife, Melania, his two younger children, Barron and Tiffany, and the first lady’s parents. It’s the same church where he and the first lady were married in 2005.
The president is expected to spend the rest of the afternoon with his family participating in annual Easter festivities at Mar-a-Lago, his private club, including brunch and an Easter egg hunt, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.
It will be a test run of sorts. He and the first lady are set to host the official annual Easter egg roll at the White House on Monday.
The president has yet to attend a church service in the nation’s capital since his inauguration weekend back in January. The church attendance of past presidents has been a topic of intense interest in Washington.
Trump has been speaking more about faith in recent week, invoking God in his statements.
In his weekly radio address, the president called Easter Sunday “a holy day of reverence and worship” and “a sacred time that fills the spirit of our nation with the faith of our people.”
He also declared, “America is a Nation of believers,” adding that: “As long as we have faith in each other, and trust in God, we will succeed.”
Trump described himself as a “religious person” during his campaign, but often appeared to struggle to affirm his Christian credentials as he worked to woo the Evangelical voters who helped drive him into office.
He often carried a copy of his childhood Bible and a photo of his confirmation to provide evidence of his Presbyterian upbringing and made what were seen as several minor missteps, including mistakenly referring to Second Corinthians as “two Corinthians” during an appearance at the Christian Liberty University.
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