President Trump seems to believe that Americans are clamoring for religious leaders to have the power to hand down lists of political endorsements from the pulpit. In fact, this is the last thing most Americans want.

There’s no doubt that worldwide religious persecution is an ongoing problem. But Trump, whose closest allies are in repressive nations such as Russia and Saudi Arabia and who has an embarrassing crush on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and his murderous regime, has no moral authority to lead the fight against it.

The results of all of these studies would seem to indicate that the reckless mixture of partisan politics with religion – something Americans United has always stood against – isn’t in the best long-term interest of the religious community.