A senior White House official responsible for faith outreach says President Donald Trump’s recent comments hinting he may not make it to Heaven reflect humility rather than doubt.
Addressing the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference at the Museum of the Bible on Tuesday, Jenny Korn — director of the White House Faith Office and a veteran of both the first Trump administration and the George W. Bush administration — spoke in personal terms to attest to Trump’s faith.
“I have the honor of knowing him now for almost 10 years,” she said. “I've been in the Oval Office with the cameras and without the cameras. And I want to let you know that those pictures that you see of the president praying in the Oval Office with many pastors around him, it's real.”
Korn emphasized that the president welcomes prayer in any setting. She maintained, “On camera or off camera, the president welcomes hands-on and welcomes prayer.” She added, “It's in his heart, and this is who he is.”
“There's been prayer in the Oval Office, in the Roosevelt Room, in the East Room, in the Residence, on the grounds, in every part of the White House inside and out,” she said.
Trump’s latest faith-related comments came while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, when he suggested he is “maybe not Heaven-bound.”
“I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make Heaven,” Trump said.
Korn argued that such statements should not be interpreted as a cause for concern. “The president has his own language, and I look at it, and I know his language, it was humility,” she said.
In August, the president sparked discussion among Christian leaders after publicly wondering whether ending the Russia-Ukraine war might help him reach Heaven, reigniting debate about the path of salvation.
Korn underscored Trump’s personal profession of faith, saying he has accepted Jesus Christ as his “Lord and Savior.” Acknowledging his rhetorical style, she noted that while Trump “uses some colorful language” and “might not speak like a Sunday School teacher,” the president “sure likes to hire them.”
Reflecting on the spiritual aspect of her work, Korn said, “I never really understood what spiritual warfare was until I worked for President Trump,” adding, “I would walk into the White House, and I could feel this very dark cloud above me, but there was this space in between my head and that dark cloud, and it was your prayers. It was God. It was Jesus.”
“I was able to do my job because of you and all of the millions of people that were praying for us to do our jobs that first term,” she added.
She also stated that faith advisors close to the president continued their efforts during the four-year hiatus between Trump’s administrations.
Korn said she traveled to Mar-a-Lago with Pentecostal televangelist Paula White-Cain — the president’s longtime pastor and spiritual advisor — to propose creating the White House Faith Office, which Trump established in February with both women at the helm.
