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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.
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.”
