Trump-endorsed Bibles meet requirements laid out for Oklahoma schools

CNN

By Daniel Strauss, CNN

(CNN) — Oklahoma is soliciting bids for Bible suppliers to provide their wares for the state’s education department – and the specific requirements fit Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

The Bible parameters laid out in the state superintendent for public instruction’s request for proposals (RFP)– including containing the Pledge of Allegiance and the Declaration of Independence – are a match for musician Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA Bible. The RFP requirements also say that the Bibles must have the Old and New Testaments, and include copies of the US Constitution.

According to Oklahoma Watch, the parameters for the bid effectively exclude thousands of Bibles.

The request for proposals document was first reported by Oklahoma Watch in The Oklahoman on Friday.

Greenwood is best known as the musician behind “God Bless the USA,” a song that’s become a staple at Trump rallies. The Bibles sell for $60 online and, through his endorsement, the former president receives some of the proceeds, according to Oklahoma Watch.

Another Bible that meets the requirements, the We The People Bible, costs $90 each. That version was also endorsed by Trump.

The RFP from superintendent Ryan Walters is part of his ongoing push to put Bibles in every classroom. He has said that “every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”

His 2026 fiscal year budget asked for $3 million to fund purchasing 55,000 copies.

In a statement, Oklahoma State Department of Education Director of Communications Dan Isett said the RFP was consistent with the “norms of state procurement.

“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,” Isett said in a statement to CNN. “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.”

But the specificity of the bidding process has raised eyebrows. Colleen McCarty, the attorney and executive director of the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, warned in a separate statement that the overarching Bible effort is likely to draw legal challenges.

“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,” McCarty said in a statement. “Ryan Walters continues to waste taxpayer money on unconstitutional endeavors designed to draw litigation in pursuit of his political ambitions. It is an affront to the principles endeared in the constitution and it is emblematic of Ryan Walters’ disdain for the rule of law.”

Walters has garnered outsized attention for a state superintendent. In June, he ordered all public schools to teach both the Bible and the Ten Commandments. He opposed teaching LGBTQ issues in the public school system and been described by The New York Times as one of Oklahoma’s “most strident culture warriors.” Conservative groups like the 1776 Project PAC, Moms for Liberty, and Americans for Prosperity have supported him as a candidate for the top public schools job.

As a candidate, Walters focused on culture war issues that are red meat for conservatives, like opposing teaching critical race theory, fighting gun control restrictions, and opposing abortion rights. He endorsed Trump almost a year ago.

In an interview on Friday, Alicia Andrews, the chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said that Walters’ moves as superintendent has been about getting national attention.

“Everything he’s doing is for clickbait,” Andrews said in an interview on Friday, adding “he’s not doing it for what’s good for Oklahoma, what’s good for our students.”

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