In a recent video posted on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump accused President Joe Biden of overseeing a Soviet-style persecution of Catholics and alleged that FBI undercover spies were planning to infiltrate Catholic churches. These dubious allegations were made by the GOP front-runner, who referred to Biden as "Crooked Joe" and claimed that Christians and Americans of faith were facing unprecedented persecution under his administration.

Despite Biden describing himself as a practicing Catholic and being only the second Catholic president after JFK, Trump did not hold back in launching these accusations at his probable adversary in the 2024 election. "Under Crooked Joe Biden, Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted like nothing this nation has ever seen before," Trump stated in the video.

Specifically targeting Catholics, Trump claimed that the Biden administration had sent SWAT teams to arrest pro-life activists over the past three years. He also alleged that the FBI had been profiling devout Catholics as possible domestic terrorists and planning to send undercover spies into Catholic churches, drawing a parallel to the old days of the Soviet Union.

Conservatives interpreted a leaked FBI memo titled "Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities" as evidence that the Justice Department was targeting Catholics as domestic terrorists. However, Attorney General Merrick Garland dismissed the accusation as "outrageous," expressing his disbelief at the memo. The FBI, in response to the allegations, clarified that any characterization of targeting Catholics was false.

In regards to Trump's mention of arrests of pro-life activists, it appears that he may have been referring to actions taken against alleged extremists that conservatives had spun into a false narrative about a war against the religious right.

In his video plea, Trump urged Catholics not to vote for Biden or any other Democrats and promised to form a task force against "anti-Christian bias." This task force would investigate government agencies, universities, and major corporations that had embraced what he called "anti-Christian diversity, equity, and inclusion programs."

This recent attack on President Biden by Trump comes amidst ongoing discussions about his potential return to politics after his defeat in the 2020 election. Trump expressed surprise at the lack of support from Catholic voters in that election and stated his optimism about making a comeback.

As these baseless accusations make headlines, it is crucial to assess the credibility of the claims and the context in which they were made. The Biden administration and the FBI have strongly refuted the allegations of targeting Catholics, emphasizing that they are false and unsubstantiated.