Evangelical Christian leaders from across the country gathered to pray with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
The meeting was led by Paula White-Cain, Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office and Trump’s longtime spiritual advisor, who facilitated the gathering on Wednesday. Photographs from the event showed several faith leaders placing their hands on Trump as they prayed.
Among those in attendance were the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Pastor Travis Johnson of Pathway Church in Alabama, David Barton of WallBuilders, former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, and William Wolfe, the executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership.
Rodriguez, who serves as a faith advisor to the White House Faith Office and participated in Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, offered a prayer for the president.
The prayer included the following sentiments: “With gratitude and humility, we pray for President Trump. You assigned him, you appointed him, you anointed him for such a time as this. We ask You to cover him with the blood of Jesus, empowering him to advance an agenda of righteousness and justice, truth and love."
He continued, "Protect him from all evil as he undergirds our nation with the firewall of our Judeo-Christian value system. Fulfill Your purpose in his life.”
Rodriguez also expressed hopes for America’s future through Trump’s leadership, invoking the scripture of Isaiah 58:8: “Salvation will come like the dawn. Wounds will quickly heal. Godliness will lead us forward as the glory of God will protect us from behind. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
During Trump’s first term in office from 2017 to 2021, the White House held numerous briefings and prayer events with Evangelical leaders, including Rodriguez, Franklin Graham, James Dobson, and others. Notably, in August 2018, the White House hosted a “state dinner” inviting over 100 Evangelical leaders.
Trump announced the creation of the White House Faith Office during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast shortly after taking office. He identified its purpose as helping to combat “anti-Christian bias.”
The Office will be affiliated with the Domestic Policy Council and led by a Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office, supported by additional positions deemed appropriate by the President.
The White House Faith Office is responsible for consulting with experts and faith leaders to gather information and making “recommendations to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, regarding changes to policies and practices that impact faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship.”
