President Donald Trump at last year's National Prayer Breakfast.

Trump Speaks at National Prayer Breakfast

President Donald Trump at last year's National Prayer Breakfast.
President Donald Trump at last year’s National Prayer Breakfast. Public Domain
President Donald Trump’s speech at National Prayer Breakfast covered several key issues

The National Prayer Breakfast, or the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, started in 1953, with late President Dwight D. Eisenhower being the first President to attend. Since the beginning of this event, both politicians and religious members used it as a platform to talk about faith in politics.

Trump Speaks at National Prayer Breakfast[/tweetthis]

However, the breakfast has come under scrutiny after officials arrested Russian national Maria Butina last year. They claimed she was trying to use the occasion to influence politics in the country. Some of the leaders who are in charge of organizing the event, Doug Burleigh and James Lankford, believe it is essential to scrutinize the people attending the event. According to them, the National Prayer Breakfast is motivated by spirituality, but not all the guests have the same motivation.

President Donald Trump received the support of religious conservatives and evangelicals in 2016 as part of his presidential election campaign. During this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, the leader of the United States made it clear he still values his relationship with these groups deeply.

He told the audience of evangelical Christians, political figures, and religious leaders he is never going to disappoint them. He also used the moment to talk about an important issue among conservative Christians – late-term abortion. He continued to show he is against abortion, despite Virginia and New York attempting to ease restrictions on the procedure.

He claimed God is the one responsible for making both unborn and born children. Due to this reason, his stance will always be anti-abortion. After several years, this issue has once again entered national politics, after the decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Trump made it clear he is taking the best efforts to lead the fight against anti-Semitism by appointing Elan Carr as U.S. envoy. He plans on increasing his efforts to safeguard persecuted Jews and Christians.

The President also touched topics his administration wants to address, such as human trafficking and religious persecution taking place outside the country. For example, Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, spent almost two years in a Turkish jail before the Trump administration set him free.

However, it looks like Trump might have slipped up during his speech, as he mentioned the abolition of civil rights as important progress of the nation. As a result, Twitter users were quick to point out the mistake.

Resources

Follow the Conversation on Twitter