Don't let the President off the hook on this Motley.  You admire him for his blunt honestly (as best as I can tell).     He makes his own calls, he made this one on his own.   He represents very few Christian values as I've been taught.   He doesn't take faith seriously, as you said he's pragmatic.   

Why would he want to remove the barrier between church and politics?   (power?)

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Churches influence voting by the values they chose to support and try to teach to their parishioners.   To mix spiritual reflection with the self interest of politics is a huge pitfall for any church and they should steer clear.   

Some of the richest pastors in American preach the 'gospel of prosperity' and have made themselves multimillionaires.    Current law does not stop this.    A conservative Christian, Sen Charles Grassley, tried to pass law that would remove tax exemptions from these charlatan.   The Republican Congress let him go nowhere with his suggestion.