At the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he doesn't know “how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat.”
The annual breakfast, founded in the 1950s as a bipartisan event for members of Congress and U.S. leaders to pray for one another, has generally avoided partisan attacks.
Trump’s comments prompted audible groans from the crowd.
“I know we have some [Democrats] here today. I don’t know why they’re here,” Trump added. “Because they certainly don’t give us their vote.”
He cited Democratic opposition to voter identification laws, saying, “They don’t want to approve it. They cheat.”
Of the 214 House Democrats, 161 identify as Christian.
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Trump also addressed remarks he made at last year’s breakfast about not going to Heaven, clarifying they were a “joke.” He said he accepted last year’s invitation because he “needs all the help” he can get.
"'I’m never gonna make it to Heaven,'" Trump said, recalling his 2025 appearance. “‘I just don’t think I qualify. I don’t think there’s a thing I can do.’ But all these good things I am doing for religion… religion is back now, hotter than ever before. But the New York Times did a story that Donald Trump is questioning his life and the meaning of his life. No, I was just having fun.”
“I really think I probably should make it,” Trump continued. “I mean, I’m not a perfect candidate, but I did a hell of a lot of good for perfect people.”
