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Oklahoma superintendent wants $3.3 million to put 55,000 Trump Bibles in classrooms

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters official portrait Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St Johns Church across from the White House after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd
Office of Oklahoma State Superintendent; BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Ryan Walters recently asked the Oklahoma Legislature for $3 million in the state Department of Education's 2026 budget request to purchase Bibles for schools. But not just any Bible.

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Oklahoma's Superintendent of Public Instruction has put forth a contract that would put 55,000 Trump Bibles in state classrooms.

Ryan Walters recently asked the Oklahoma Legislature for $3 million in the state Department of Education's 2026 budget request to purchase Bibles for schools. A contract seeking bidders to supply the books went live Monday, according to documents obtained by The Oklahoman.

Walters' requirements for the Bibles don't include just any version — the contract states that the Bibles must be the King James Version, and contain the Old and New Testaments, the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The books must also have leather binding.

Only two versions of the Bible fit this description, the outlet found, the first being Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible. Donald Trump endorsed Greenwood's version, granting the former president fees from each sale of the book, which retails for $60. The only other version of the Bible within Walters' requirements is even more expensive at $90.

Curiously, Walters, who recently ordered Oklahoma schools to put a Bible in "every classroom," requested approximately 12,000 more copies than necessary, seeing as there are only about 43,000 classrooms in the state. If the legislature purchased 55,000 of the $60 Trump Bibles, it would be paying over $3.3 million.

Walters' extreme conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ views have caused even his fellow Republicans to distance themselves from him and question his leadership. More than two dozen House Republicans called for an impeachment investigation into Walters in August, accusing him of overreach, disregard for legislative oversight, and failure to comply with state laws.

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, has condemned Walters’ leadership, previously telling The Advocate that he "has made school less safe for Oklahoma students."

"Walters’ toxic and self-promoting, self-enriching record is so reprehensible that his colleagues on both sides of the aisle are rightly calling for his removal," she said. "Oklahoma’s students can’t wait for Walters to term out. Walters must be removed immediately for the safety of all students.”

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Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.