Trump on prayer breakfast, calling on Americans to return God to their lives

President Trump joined a more than 70-year tradition in Washington, which brings together lawmakers from both parties.

“I truly believe that you cannot be happy without religion, without faith”, President Trump said. “Let's turn God's religion into our lives“, he added.

Referring to him in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, when a bullet hit his right ear, President Trump told lawmakers and audience in the hall that the event changed.

I feel even stronger. I believe in God, but I feel it better. Something happened “, he added.

He then jokingly addressed those present, saying that luckily the bullet did not break his hair, which caused laughter among them.

The president, who is a Christian who does not follow a certain branch of this religion, called religious freedom “part of the foundation of American life” and called for its protection with “absolute dedication”.

President Trump and his administration have had disagreements with religious leaders, like the case of Bishop Mariann Budde, who one day after his inauguration, called for mercy for members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as illegal immigrants in the country.

Vice President JD Vance, who is a Catholic, has crashed with leading church leaders attending issues on immigration issues.

Many clergymen throughout the country are concerned that federal officials are already allowed to enter churches for their shares against illegal immigrants.

The republican president delivered a provocative speech on the morning of prayer, the last in his first term.

That year, the meeting took place a day after the Senate declared him innocent after raising charges in Congress aimed at dismissing him.

I don't like people who use faith as an excuse to do what they know is wrong“, Mr. Trump said during his speech referring to the House of Representatives' comments at the time, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who said publicly he prayed for Donald Trump, as well as Senator Mit Romney, who had mentioned his religion in the decision to vote guilty by the Senate Trump.

At that same meeting, holding two newspaper headlines on dropping charges against him, President Trump added: “I don't like people who say: “I pray for you when they know it's not like this”.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to attend prayer breakfast in February 1953. Then each American president has given a speech in this organization.

This year, co-chairman honours of morning prayer are Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan and Republican Senator Roger Marshall.

In 2023 the National Morning of Prayer was divided into two activities, one in the Capitol, attended mainly by lawmakers and government officials and a larger private activity that gathered at a hotel of thousands.

The division occurred after lawmakers sought to distance themselves from the religious group, which for decades has organised the largest activity within the morning of Lutje, due to questions about its manner of organisation and how it was being financed.

In 2023 and 2024, Democrat President Joe Biden spoke on the activity held in the Capitol, and his comments were broadcast live on the other activity. / VOA