At Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump kicked off his remarks by pointing to the "terrible ordeal" of impeachment, apparently taking aim at Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted to convict the president on the charge of abuse of power a day earlier, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who said recently she prays for the president.
"I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong, nor do I like people who say 'I pray for you' when they know that is not so," Trump said.
Pelosi was also in attendance at the breakfast, where she prayed before the president.
Outside the prayer breakfast, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action gathered to read an open letter to those gathered and offer a liturgy. The letter reads, in part:
As young people raised by many of you to be just these kinds of people, here is what we ask: As you pray today, pray for God’s groaning creation and for our vulnerable neighbors who are being harmed. As you go back tomorrow to the communities that you lead, live out these prayers with courage and conviction.
Introduce your followers to the richness of Scripture’s teaching about God’s love for God’s world and our call to care for it.
Defend life by supporting policies that will transition our economy away from dirty, toxic fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.
Love your God by acting to protect the good works of his hands.
Love your neighbors by fighting for a world where they have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a stable climate for generations to come.
Climate change did not come up in Trump's speech, though he did touch on religious freedom, prayer in schools, criminal justice reform, and at many points, his recent impeachment.
"When they impeach you for nothing, and then you're supposed to like them, it's not easy folks, but I'm doing my best," Trump riffed toward the end of his speech.
Watch the full program here.
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