JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have not been talking much about their own religious lives during this campaign. That is after decades of presidential elections in which candidates spent a lot of energy establishing their faith story. Think of George W. Bush's evangelical conversion or Joe Biden's Catholicism. We wondered why the candidates might be talking less about their faith this time around, so we asked NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose to think it through. Hey, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
SUMMERS: Jason, I just want to start with what we do know about the candidates' personal religious lives. What can you tell us?
DEROSE: Well, Donald Trump identifies as Presbyterian. We also know that he doesn't often attend church, and he says he doesn't ask God for forgiveness, which is something most Christians believe is very important. Now, as for Kamala Harris, she identifies as Baptist and attends Third Street Baptist Church (ph) when she's in San Francisco. She was raised by a Hindu mother and a Christian father, and her husband is Jewish. But as you said, the candidates don't talk much about their own religious lives.
SUMMERS: Care to venture a guess as to why you think that is?
DEROSE: Well, a couple of thoughts. Donald Trump made his career in New York real estate and in showbiz, where people rarely talk about their religion. So it wasn't ever really part of his public persona. And as for Kamala Harris, she made her political career in San Francisco, which isn't a particularly religious city and where the electorate isn't much interested in candidates' personal religious beliefs.
SUMMERS: OK, so we've established the candidates not talking much about their own religious beliefs. But I've been listening, and I know that they're still talking about religion. Tell us what they're saying.
DEROSE: Now, that's especially true for Donald Trump. Remember, he got overwhelming support from white, evangelical Christians in both 2016 and 2020 because of the abortion issue. He and his supporters talk about surviving that first assassination attempt against him as a demonstration of God's favor. Now, here's something he said in July while addressing a group of conservative Christians.
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DONALD TRUMP: Four more years. You know what? It'll be fixed. It'll be fine. You won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you. Get out. You got to get out and vote.
DEROSE: Now, also in September, Trump was addressing a Jewish audience and said Jews would be to blame if he lost. Now, he was booed at that event and was criticized for using language that plays into antisemitic tropes.
SUMMERS: OK, that's Trump. How about Kamala Harris? What's she had to say?
DEROSE: Well, here's one way Kamala Harris uses religious language while campaigning.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do with her body.
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: If she chooses - she will talk, if she chooses, with her pastor, her priest, her rabbi, her mom, but not her government telling her what to do.
DEROSE: Now Juana, I think that really reflects her understanding that religions don't speak with one voice about religion and that religious people, in fact, have abortions.
SUMMERS: Right. So we've just heard some of what the candidates have been saying, but I'm really curious, Jason, about religious groups. What have they been saying about the election, about these two candidates?
DEROSE: Quite a lot. Here are just a few examples. There are many, many more. In September, Pope Francis said both abortion and demonizing migrants were sins. He said Catholics should consult their own consciences and vote for the, quote, "lesser of two evils." Now, that statement stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who say abortion is the main issue Catholics should consider. Meanwhile, polling shows most Catholics believe abortion should be legal in at least some instances.
Also, a group of evangelical Christians just last week put out a letter saying there isn't one evangelical view on immigration, but that the Bible is clear in its command to care for migrants. Also, the Muslim group Emgage Action has endorsed Kamala Harris. While it strongly disagrees with her support for Israel, it says electing Donald Trump would be much worse for Muslims. And then just this past weekend in D.C., the pro-Trump Family Research Council held its Pray Vote Stand Summit, which brought together evangelicals to rally for the Republican nominee.
SUMMERS: That's NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Jason, thanks.
DEROSE: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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