Hi, it's Akala Lacey, co-host of the Intercept Briefing.

I'm dropping in to reshare a conversation we first aired in March, a conversation that's only grown more relevant since it first aired.

It's a deep dive into the right-wing Christian ideologies shaping Donald Trump's inner circle, featuring journalist and author of Wild Faith, Talia Lavin,

and Interset Politics Reporter Jessica Washington. As Trump consolidates power with the backing of a

hardline Congress and a Supreme Court increasingly aligned with his agenda, understanding the

religious forces behind his movement is more important than ever. We'll be back next week

with a new episode. And now here's the episode. Welcome to the Intercept briefing. I'm Akala Lacey,

a politics reporter at The Intercept and your host this week. I was saved by God to make America great again.

I believe that.

In an address to Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump rehashed the story of his attempted

assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania.

An allegory where he portrays himself as a divine savior of the American people.

This will be our greatest era with God's help over the next four years.

We are going to lead this nation even higher.

Trump used the 100-minute speech to appeal to a major part of his base, the Christian right.

He cast a slew of policy changes attacking civil rights for minorities and trans people

as part of God's plan for the nation.

And now I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that

any child is trapped in the wrong body.

This is a big lie.

In some ways, Trump is right.

He's just the kind of political leader the Christian right has been seeking for decades.

...