What Is The 'Trump Bible?'

Former President Donald Trump announced that he was selling the "God Bless The USA Bible,” also known as the “Trump Bible” in March of 2024.

Since then, Superintendent Ryan Walters hasn’t just discussed buying any Bibles for schools– the strict specifications are similar to the same “Trump Bible.”

But what is so different about this Bible in particular?

1. It includes copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance
2. It includes a “handwritten chorus” of Lee Greenwood’s ‘Born In The U.S.A’
3. It includes a King James Version translation
4. It contains both New and Old Testaments

The “God Bless the USA Bible,” is inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. 

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Billing itself as “the only Bible endorsed by President Trump!” the new venture’s website calls it “Easy-to-read” with “large print” and a “slim design” that “invites you to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time.”

The push from Walters has received pushback from schools and state officials for many reasons, but one recently being that these “Trump Bibles” are listed on the website as $59.99 a pop.

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What are the requirements released by the Oklahoma State Department of Education?

Walters is seeking to spend $3 million in state funds for Bibles that fit a certain criteria, including that the pages are supplemented with U.S. historical materials. 

Bids opened on Sept. 30, 2024 for a contract to supply the state Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. 

1. According to the bid documents, vendors must meet certain specifications: Bibles must be the King James Version
2.  Must contain the Old and New Testaments
3. Must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights
4. Must be bound in leather or leather-like material



Related: Oklahoma Watch: State Education Department Seeks Bids For 55,000 Classroom Bibles

A salesperson at Mardel Christian & Education searched, and though they carry 2,900 Bibles, none fit the parameters. 

But one Bible fits perfectly: Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and commonly referred to as the Trump Bible. 

Mardel doesn’t carry the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible or another Bible that could meet the specifications, the We The People Bible, which was also endorsed by Trump. It sells for $90. 

“The RFP on its face seems fair, but with additional scrutiny, we can see there are very few Bibles on the market that would meet these criteria, and all of them have been endorsed by former President Donald Trump,” Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Colleen McCarty said.

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Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said the request for proposals might violate state law.

“It appears to me that this bid is anything but competitive,” Edmondson said. “It adds to the basic specification other requirements that have nothing to do with the text. The special binding and inclusion of government documents will exclude almost all bidders. If the bid specs exclude most bidders unnecessarily, I could consider that a violation.” 

Separation of church and state concerns aside, much less expensive Bibles are readily available. Paperback versions of the New King James Version are available online for $2.99 each, less than 5% of what the Trump-endorsed Bible would cost. There are many free Bible apps, too. 

Though Walters has frequently said he wants Bibles in every classroom, he has also clarified publicly that he wants them in classes where the Bible might apply to academic standards, such as history or literature. The request for 55,000 copies doesn’t fit either scenario; there are only 43,000 classroom teachers in the state, and many fewer teaching just history or literature.

If the Bibles cost $60 each, and the state buys 55,000, that’s $3.3 million.

State lawmakers are raising concerns over the RFP released by OSDE and State Superintendent Ryan Walters. 

“This is not where we need to be spending taxpayer dollars,” said House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson. "He's being so specific and so narrow in this RFP that we can only point to one bible and that bible is the bible that's been 

An ethics disclosure shows that Trump received $300,000 in royalties from the book. “He's asking Oklahomans, you know, let's use our taxpayer dollars for something like this that we know is unconstitutional. 

An OSDE spokesperson said in a statement: “We are excited to bring back the Bible in its essential historical and literary context to Oklahoma classrooms. Superintendent Walters has committed the agency to an open and transparent RFP process, consistent with the norms for state procurement, that will be adequate to meet the needs of Oklahoma classrooms. There are hundreds of Bible publishers and we expect a robust competition for this proposal. As the RFP is open and ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment while bids are being placed.” 

“It's not something that everyday Oklahomans want," said Rep. Munson. 

Munson says if there was really a desire to put Bibles in the classroom, there are cheaper and even free ways to do so. “If you've lived in Oklahoma, you know about Life Church. There is a pastor there, Craig Groeschel, who has created an app,” said Rep. Munson.  

That app is called “YouVersion” with over 100 million downloads in 2023 alone it's considered the most popular free bible app on the market. “It's another day of Ryan Walters focusing on culture wars as opposed to the real needs of our students and our teachers,” said Rep. Munson.