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President Donald Trump used the National Day of Prayer to attack Joe Biden, perpetuate election lies and brag about his administration’s first 100 days in office.
“We're bringing back religion in our country and we're bringing it back quickly and strongly,” the president said in a rambling speech in the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon.
Minutes into his speech, Trump mentioned his faith advisers’ work in the White House. “No other president allowed that. They said, 'separation between church and state.' I said, ‘Alright, let's forget about that for one time.’”
In fact, his address Thursday marked a second time.
While hosting the National Day of Prayer, the president, for the most part, breezed past faith and instead bashed Democrats, praised his administration’s efforts, and repeated his 2020 “rigged election” claims.
And while he did mention that he was pleased about being in office for the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress’ proclamation of a day of fasting and prayer, Trump also grouped the commemoration with the FIFA World Cup and Olympics, which are being held in the U.S. in 2026 and 2028, respectively.
“This is going to be really four years of celebration, so get ready,” the president said, referring to the Olympics, World Cup and 250th anniversary. “We’re going to bring God to those celebrations. We’re not going to forget about God,” he told the crowd.
He also regurgitated a debunked claim that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden: “Had the election not been rigged, I would’ve been out of here, I would’ve been gone.” He continued that had he not been a victim of a “rigged election,” the wars in Gaza and Ukraine would have never happened.
The president also discussed what he refers to as the “big, beautiful bill” — a massive spending measure. He noted the bill’s promised tax cuts before acknowledging that some may lose their faith if hit with major tax hikes: "This is a religious ceremony but that's part of the religion, because if your taxes go up 68 percent you might give up your religion. You might have no choice. You'll be working too hard." The crowd broke into laughter.
The Democrats want to vote against it because they suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” he said.
About 20 minutes into his address, he noticed the crowd was still standing, saying it was a “great honor” they had stood for so long. “I know if Biden were up here, you would’ve been seated. You might’ve never stood up,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
At one point in the disjointed speech, Trump even welcomed TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw onto the stage, who said he was “proud” to see “religion come back to the White House.”
Despite his poll numbers marking the worst showing for a president at the 100-day mark in 80 years, the president boasted about his administration’s handling of the border crisis, an uptick in military enrollment, and how world leaders are calling him daily.
The president also that God put him in the White House:“I think God answered other prayers because he’s put in an administration that’s going to make you proud again, going to make you believe and believe more again.”
English (US) ·