Donald Trump identifies himself as a Presbyterian, but he hasn't regularly attended Presbyterian services since his family started attending Marble Collegiate Church in midtown Manhattan more than 50 years ago. Trump was confirmed at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, at about age 13 in 1959, but in the 1960s, the Trump family started attending Marble, on Fifth Avenue, because of the preacher, Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, whose 1952 book extolling the "power of positive thinking" helped make him a wealthy man. Peale presided at Trump's first wedding, to Ivana Trump, and Peale's successor, Rev. Arthur Caliandro, married Trump and his second wife, Marla Maples, who also attended Marble.
Trump told The New York Times he isn't sure he ever officially joined Marble, which was affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, and said, "I haven't been back since Dr. Caliandro passed away," three years ago. Last year, Marble Collegiate issued a statement saying that Trump is not "an active member" of the church. Peale preached that it is possible to be wealthy and spiritually successful, and Trump and his father, Fred Trump, were big fans. Trump calls Peale "a great preacher and a great public speaker," and the admiration was mutual. "When the service was over, you said, 'I'd have sat there for another hour,'" Trump told The Times. "There aren't too many people like that. It wasn't the speaking ability, it was the thought process."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Band Aid 40: time to change the tune?In the Spotlight Band Aid's massively popular 1984 hit raised around £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia and the charity has generated over £140m in total
-
Starmer vs the farmers: who will win?Today's Big Question As farmers and rural groups descend on Westminster to protest at tax changes, parallels have been drawn with the miners' strike 40 years ago
-
How secure are royal palaces?The Explainer Royal family's safety is back in the spotlight after the latest security breach at Windsor
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
