Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal affirmed Monday that he does think President Obama is Christian, taking a different tack from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who said Saturday that he doesn’t know what religion the president follows.
“I can’t speak for Gov. Walker,” Jindal told the Washington Examiner, when asked about Walker’s remarks. “Of course the president is a Christian. Of course he loves this country.”
“The president’s personal religious beliefs aren’t the issue,” Jindal added. “It’s what he’s done to religion in this country.”
Walker stirred one of the strangest mini-controversies of the fledgling presidential election cycle when he was asked by reporters for the Washington Post whether the president is Christian.
“I don’t know,” Walker told the Post. “I’ve actually never talked about it, or I haven’t read about that. I’ve never asked him that.” Walker went on to note that the question if of little interest either to him or to Wisconsin voters.
Jindal, who like Walker is among the Republicans moving toward a bid for the presidency, has in the past been one of the harshest critics of the president on religion. Last year, Jindal in a speech described a “silent war” on religion in America by the Obama administration.
But questions about the president’s faith are a bridge too far for Jindal.
“It’s a distraction by the liberal media,” Jindal said.
In dealing with another controversy, Jindal added some nuance to a comment last week in which he seemed to side with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said last week, “I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America.”
Jindal initially released a statement refusing to condemn Giuliani’s remarks. But he clarified Monday, “Of course (Obama) loves this country.”
