Trump touts religion, attacks political opponents at National Prayer Breakfast: 'You have to believe'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, February 05, 2026

President Donald Trump said "religion is coming back" in the United States and touted his administration's accomplishments for religious liberty while attacking his political opponents during a wide-ranging speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Trump opened his speech by dismissing concerns about the state of his soul, given comments he made last year that he is "maybe not Heaven-bound," claiming such remarks were made in jest and misinterpreted.

"I say, 'I'm never going to make it to Heaven. I just don't think I qualify. I don't think there's a thing I can do.' But all of these good things I'm doing, including for religion. You know, religion is back now, hotter than ever before," he said.

Trump then said he has done more for religious freedom than other modern presidents, claiming most were either too neutral or actively hostile toward faith. He accused Democrats, especially, of opposing God.

"Certainly modern-day — certainly modern-day presidents, they didn't — they bailed out on you. They bailed out. They want to be neutral. They want to be neutral or against," he said. "You know, the Democrats are against. I don't know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat. I really don't. And I know we have some here today, and I don't know why they're here, because they certainly don't give us their vote."

Trump went on to accuse Democratic leaders of opposing voter ID because they want to cheat, before saying, "But let's get on to another subject." After thanking the event sponsors, he veered off again into political issues, boasting that he won the popular vote and "every swing state," strengthened the military and secured Venezuela's oil.

Trump also criticized his predecessors, mocking former President Joe Biden for his cognitive decline and accusing former President Barack Obama of sowing division.

Trump took a more somber tone at other times during the lengthy speech, noting "no administration in modern history has done more to confront the plight of persecuted Christians around the world than we have," while pledging to defend them.

"We knocked the hell out of [ISIS] the other day in Nigeria because they were killing Christians. You know about that. They were killing Christians. You can't do that," he said. "When Christians come under attack, they know they're going to be attacked violently and viciously by President Trump. I know it's not a nice thing to say, but that's the way it is."

Trump also claimed religion is resurging in the U.S., noting that "more copies of the Holy Bible were sold in the United States than at any time in the last 100 years," and that within the past year, "young Americans attended church at nearly twice the rate as they did four years ago."

"I've always said, you just can't have a great country if you don't have religion. You have to believe in something. You have to believe that what we're doing, there's a reason for it. There has to be a reason for it," he said.

Trump drew raucous applause when he announced that on May 17, Americans will be invited to gather on the National Mall "to pray, to give thanks and [...] rededicate America as one nation under God" for its 250th anniversary.

Trump fielded criticism from some Christians on X for using the speech to hit at fellow Republicans, specifically Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as well as Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, all of whom are Christians.

Categorizing congressional Republicans as either "the type that goes along with us and believes in us" or "the type that needs a little love all the time, no matter what it is," Trump claimed Roy often needs special attention and called Massie a "moron" who consistently opposes the GOP's legislative agenda.

"We have one that doesn't get there, we have one guy. He's an automatic no," Trump said of Massie, whom he also called "Rand Paul Jr.," in reference to the Kentucky senator who has also sometimes opposed the president on some legislative issues.

Both Roy and Massie responded to Trump's criticism shortly after his speech, with Roy tweeting, "Like you say, Mr. President. I am not always easy but we are good. Love helping you save the country at all hours of the day!"

Massie said, "The President of the United States called me a moron at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning because I'm still fighting for what he promised the American people: Reduce big spending, DOGE, no new wars, end foreign aid, defend 1A 2A 4A, prolife, and expose sex traffickers."

The President of the United States called me a moron at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning because I’m still fighting for what he promised the American people:

Reduce big spending, DOGE, no new wars, end foreign aid, defend 1A 2A 4A, prolife, and expose sex traffickers. https://t.co/auezIY6xDw

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) February 5, 2026

Christian author and radio host Eric Metaxas, an outspoken Trump supporter who delivered the keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2012, appeared to criticize the president for the tone of his address.

"Didn't anyone on the President's team advise him that the National Prayer Breakfast is a prayer breakfast? Didn't someone write a speech for him? What's going on? I think they need to bring me in to help. It's that bad. I love my country and will serve if called," Metaxas said in an X post.

Jenna Ellis, who served as Trump's attorney, echoed Metaxas, claiming in an X post that Trump's characterization of Massie "just isn't true," citing his 83% lifetime conservative voting score from Heritage Action, compared to 64% for the average House Republican.

"Massie overwhelmingly votes with Trump, yet because he is principled, he offends Trump's demand for blind loyalty. Massie is exactly the type of Republican we WANT in Congress," she said. "And not for nothing, the National Prayer Breakfast really isn't the moment to fixate on political squabbles."