Numerous previous presidents have issued statements in recognition of Easter Sunday. This year, the Trump administration went a step farther, with several key Cabinet departments heralding Christ’s resurrection on their official social media accounts.
“He is risen,” declared the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
The Defense Department shared a post on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage, and truth.”
The Justice Department also chimed in on X.
“Today, as millions of Christians gather in their churches across the nation to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, this Department —- is proud to protect and defend religious liberty,” it said.
The posts drew thousands of comments. Some people expressed joy at the departments’ open embrace of Christianity; others were outraged, saying government agencies should not be promoting the doctrine of a particular faith.
Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.
Last week, Hegseth hosted his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began.
“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
Trump, in a statement issued on Good Friday, evoked the Iran war only indirectly.
“From the Christian patriots who won and secured our liberty on the battlefield and every generation since, the love of Christ has unfailingly guided our Nation through calm waters and dark storms,” he said.
On Easter Sunday morning, his tone was harsher. In a profanity-laced post on Truth Social, he demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, “or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nationwide advocacy group, responded by assailing Trump's “deranged mocking of Islam.”
Statements of faith are common in American public life, across political parties and religious traditions. Pentagon aides and Hegseth’s defenders cite examples from history, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s support for issuing Bibles to troops.
But the overall tradition, widely adhered to over the decades, has been for presidents and their administrations to honor the constitutional separation of church and state, and avoid a clearcut favoring of one faith over others.
Past presidents had various tones in their Easter messages. Republican George W. Bush, in 2003, explicitly celebrated the resurrection of Christ. Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Barack Obama sometimes issued messages recognizing both Easter and Passover.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
This screenshot taken from social media site X shows a post about Easter by the Department of State's official account. (AP Photo)
People make their departure following an Easter Sunday sunrise prayer service at the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
This screenshot taken from social media site X shows a post about Easter by the Department of Homeland Security’s official account. (AP Photo)
PHOENIX (AP) — It’s mission accomplished for UCLA.
Gabriela Jaquez, Lauren Betts and the rest of the UCLA seniors secured the first NCAA women's basketball national championship in school history — a goal that was set after losing in the first Final Four last season.
Jaquez scored 21 points, Betts added 16 and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 Sunday in the title game.
“I knew we were going to do it. Coming to UCLA we all set out for a goal, and I imagined this moment,” Jaquez said. "I imagined it so many times, and I am just so, so proud. ... Crying a lot, the confetti, all of the fans being here to support us, my family being here, it just means everything. Celebrating with this group, like ... I’m so happy.”
The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins’ journey through this year’s March Madness. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season with their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament.
“It’s immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”
UCLA (37-1) was led by Betts and her fellow seniors and graduate students, like Jaquez — who played all four years with the Bruins. She also had 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat and flew in to attend the game to watch his alma mater win.
The group that coach Close put together through a combination of high school commitments and transfer portal players capped off their stellar careers with a championship, scoring all the points in the title game.
“Connectivity. Attention to detail. You know I looked them in the eyes before in the locker room, before the game, and I said, ‘I’m so proud to be able to say this,” Close said. "Because all year we’ve been saying the talent is our floor, but our character will determine our ceiling.’”
The title is UCLA’s first since winning the 1978 AIAW championship, which was the postseason tournament for women’s basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982.
The championship game loss was the second straight for the Gamecocks, who won the title in 2024. Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks (36-4) will be favored to return to the game’s biggest stage with a talented group of expected returnees, led by Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer.
Like their 51-44 semifinal win over Texas, the Bruins were locked in defensively, anchored by Betts. She finished with 11 rebounds and exited the game with 3:45 left, giving Close a huge hug. The 6-foot-7 senior earned Most Outstanding Player honors of the Final Four.
“UCLA is a quality team with very experienced players who got a taste of being in the Final Four last year, and you make adjustments,” South Carolina's Staley said. "From last year to this year -- they played determined last year, but they played more determined this year because they were so close.”
Offensively, the Bruins had a much easier time than in the semifinal game that saw the team score only 20 points in the first half. The Bruins surpassed that total in the opening 10 minutes against South Carolina. Kiki’s Rice 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer made it 21-10 as the Bruins got off to a strong start and South Carolina struggled with 17% shooting, it’s poorest quarter of the season.
The Bruins extended the lead to 15 points in the second quarter by clogging up the paint on defense and working the ball inside on offense for a 36-23 lead at the half.
UCLA put the game away in the third quarter, opening the period with a 12-3 run. Jaquez had five points during the spurt. South Carolina never threatened again as the Bruins outscored them 25-9 in the period.
“We just didn’t have it today. We tried, but we just didn’t have it today,” Staley said. "They were the better team.”
South Carolina avoided the most lopsided loss in championship history of 33 points, set in 2013 when UConn defeated Louisville. The Gamecocks also surpassed the title game record low of 44 points by Louisiana Tech in 1987 against Tennessee.
The Gamecocks were trying to cement their name as the premiere program in the sport with a fourth championship and third in the past five seasons. It just wasn’t meant to be Sunday as they had their worst shooting game of the season against a talented UCLA team.
“This is not the ending we wanted, but we got here. No one thought we would, and we did it,” said Tessa Johnson, who led South Carolina with 14 points.
Makeer added 11 for the Gamecocks.
“The score speaks for itself.” said Gamecocks senior Raven Johnson, who played in five Final Fours in her career.
Close has been at UCLA for 15 seasons, but her connections go deeper with the school as she was mentored by the legendary Bruins men’s coach John Wooden, who won 10 national championships at the school.
Their bond began when she was 22 years old and he was 83. She shares the same first name with one of his great-granddaughters. Close visited Wooden bi-weekly, adopting his “Pyramid of Success” and focus on character and its paid off with her team.
“Coach Wooden always said, ‘You got to do it the way you’re wired to do it, not the way anyone else did.’ And I just tried imperfectly to stay true to that," Close said.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
UCLA players celebrate after defeating South Carolina in the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
UCLA players celebrate after defeating South Carolina in the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) grabs a rebound over South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley motions towards the court against UCLA during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
UCLA forward Angela Dugalic (32) drives against South Carolina guard Ta'Niya Latson, left, and South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) celebrates after a play against South Carolina during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) grabs a rebound over South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) grabs a rebound over South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson (5) shoots over UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) during the second half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
UCLA forward Angela Dugalic, second from left, embraces UCLA guard Lena Bilic (9) after defeating Texas in a women's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina guard Ta'Niya Latson (00) and South Carolina guard Agot Makeer (44) go for a rebound against UConn during the first half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez (11) celebrates after UCLA defeated Texas in a women's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
