By Charles Switzer
1:19pm PST, Feb 7, 2025
National Prayer Breakfast Sparks Political Firestorm
What was supposed to be a moment of unity at a Thursday, February 6, National Prayer Breakfast quickly devolved into political bickering after lawmakers took their grievances to social media.
President
Donald Trump used the event to reaffirm his faith, saying he now "much more strongly" believes in God after surviving an assassination attempt.
However, the bipartisan nature of the gathering was overshadowed by Rep.
Jared Huffman (D-CA), who accused House Speaker
Mike Johnson of violating the separation of church and state by hosting the event at the Capitol.
Here are all the heated moments from the prayer service gone wrong.
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Huffman's Criticism Draws GOP Backlash
Huffman's claim that the prayer breakfast symbolized "MAGA Republicans taking a sledgehammer to the wall between church and state" ignited fierce Republican backlash.
X, the platform owned by Trump ally
Elon Musk, quickly flagged Huffman's post with a community note pointing out that former Presidents
Barack Obama and
Joe Biden also attended the event. GOP lawmakers, including Rep.
Kat Cammack (R-FL), mocked the outrage, calling it "hilariously pathetic."
Others, like Rep.
Nancy Mace (R-SC), posted photos of Biden speaking at last year's event to refute Huffman's accusations.
Speaker Johnson Accused of Promoting Extremism
Huffman took his criticism a step further, accusing Johnson of aligning the prayer event with "extremists who advocate for laws to kill all gay people."
His remarks were met with fierce opposition from conservatives, who argued the event has always been a bipartisan tradition. Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) dismissed Huffman's concerns with a pointed response, stating: "I'll pray for you."
The Democratic congressman later doubled down, sharing examples of "Christian nationalist trolls" attacking him online to emphasize his point.
Trump Reflects on Faith and Surviving an Assassination Attempt
Amid the political infighting, Trump's speech at the breakfast took a deeply personal turn.
He reflected on last year's
assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally, declaring, "God was watching me."
The former president admitted that while he always believed in God, the near-death experience solidified his faith. His remarks resonated with many attendees, but the spiritual focus of the event was soon drowned out by partisan squabbling.
Sen. Hassan's Prophetic Words on Division
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a co-chair of the National Prayer Breakfast, unknowingly foreshadowed the controversy when she warned attendees that division would quickly return once they left the event.
"The moment we leave here, the difficult, divisive challenges of our times will engulf us yet again," she said.
And just as predicted, what should have been a unifying morning of faith and reflection turned into yet another battlefield in America's culture wars.
