As an adult, Trump rarely speaks of his religion. When pressed, he stumbles when asked about tenets of the Christian faith. This is, perhaps, because of his distaste for it. Trump biographer and author of The Big Cheat, David Cay Johnston told me, “In his book Think Big, Trump goes on for six pages denouncing Christians as ‘fools,’ ‘idiots,’ and ‘schmucks.'”

During the 2016 campaign, Trump wasn’t truthful about continuing to attend Marble Collegiate Church—forcing Marble to refute that assertion in a statement. Although he claims to be a devout follower of Christ, he typically declined to share a favorite verse or testament of the Bible. For instance, when trying to appease a reporter on the topic, Trump cited “an eye for an eye” as a favorite verse—retribution explicitly condemned by Jesus (Matthew 5:38-48). Moreover, his reverence for revenge is apparently so central to his modus operandi, he devoted a chapter in his book—Think Big—to the importance of retribution and the necessity to “screw them back in spades.”

Trump’s religious identity is often viewed as a strategic tool for political purposes. His appeal to evangelicals is enhanced by various assertions; such as the claim of collecting Bibles, maintaining that the Bible is his favorite text and his use of religious words and references to God at more than double the rate of presidents in the last century. In fact, his use of religious language spiked once he won the party’s nomination and was even more prevalent in states with higher religious populations.