(The Hill) — Thousands of copies of former President Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in China, according to trade records reviewed by The Associated Press.
According to AP, the records showed a printing company in eastern China shipped nearly 120,000 of the Trump Bibles to the U.S. in three shipments between February and March.
The total cost of the shipments was $342,000, which comes out to less than $3 per Bible, the AP reported, citing databases that track customs, imports and exports data.
Trump started selling the “God Bless the USA” Bibles in partnership with country musician Lee Greenwood earlier this year.
“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and have to bring them back fast,” Trump said in a video shared to his Truth Social site. “I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country.”
While Trump was president, his administration had exempted Bibles and other religious texts from tariffs imposed on billions in Chinese goods.
Trump often talks tough toward China, while occasionally expressing admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping. But he has often said his economic policies would help ensure more products are made in America.
This is not the first controversy around the “God Bless the USA” Bibles.
Oklahoma has faced accusations of narrowly defining its requirements for its Bibles-in-schools program to ensure the purchase of the Trump-backed Bibles.
“It appears to me that this bid is anything but competitive,” former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.
Some of Trump’s top foreign policy advisers are pushing for a more aggressive U.S. policy toward China, both on the economic front and through a larger U.S. military buildup in Asia.
The Hill has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
