WASHINGTON — President Trump, a day after being acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial, used a nationwide prayer breakfast on Thursday to lash out
WASHINGTON — President Trump, a day after being acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial, used a nationwide prayer breakfast on Thursday to lash out at his political opponents, accusing them of being “very dishonest and corrupt folks” who’re making an attempt to destroy him and the nation.
Explicitly rejecting the message of tolerance supplied on the Nationwide Prayer Breakfast simply moments earlier than he took the lectern, Mr. Trump — with out naming them — singled out Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was sitting only a few toes away on the head desk, and Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican from Utah who voted to convict him, accusing them of hypocrisy for citing their religion whereas supporting his impeachment.
“As all people is aware of, my household, our nice nation and your president have been put by means of a horrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt folks they’ve performed all the things attainable to destroy us and by so doing very badly damage our nation,” Mr. Trump instructed an viewers of non secular leaders and followers. “They know what they’re doing is incorrect, however they put themselves far forward of our nice nation.”
He praised “brave Republican politicians and leaders” who “had the knowledge, fortitude and power” to vote in opposition to the 2 articles of impeachment charging him with abuse of workplace and obstruction of Congress. He then appeared to focus on Mr. Romney, who cited his religion in saying his resolution to vote for conviction.
“I don’t like individuals who use their religion as justification for doing what they know is incorrect,” Mr. Trump stated. Then, in a transparent reference to Ms. Pelosi, who has stated she prays for Mr. Trump, the president stated, “Nor do I like individuals who say, ‘I pray for you,’ once they know that’s not so.”
Mr. Trump’s speech was as overtly a political discuss as any president has made on the Nationwide Prayer Breakfast, historically a bipartisan affair the place members of each events put apart their disagreements for an hour or two to give attention to their shared beliefs. When he arrived, he held up two newspapers with banner headlines that stated, “Acquitted” and “Trump Acquitted.” Along with his outburst on impeachment, Mr. Trump cited rising inventory markets, boasted about his approval score within the newest Gallup ballot and urged the viewers to vote within the fall.
Mr. Trump’s remarks got here hours earlier than he plans to make an announcement concerning the consequence of the impeachment trial on the White Home at midday. The prayer breakfast was the primary time that he and Ms. Pelosi have been in the identical room for the reason that State of the Union deal with on Tuesday evening when he refused to shake her hand and she or he ripped up her copy of his speech.
Whereas Ms. Pelosi gave a brief speech on the breakfast on behalf of the poor and persecuted, Mr. Trump appeared to glower and stared straight forward, not her. When it got here time for him to talk, Mr. Trump instantly adopted a keynote deal with by Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and outstanding conservative thinker, who delivered a passionate plea to Individuals to place apart hatred in nationwide life and “love your enemies.”
At one level, Mr. Brooks requested the viewers, “What number of of you like someone with whom you disagree politically?” Arms across the room shot up. “I’m going to spherical that off to 100 p.c,” he stated. However what he didn’t appear to note was that Mr. Trump was amongst those that didn’t elevate his hand.
“Contempt is ripping our nation aside,” Mr. Brooks went on. “We’re like a pair on the rocks on this nation.” With out mentioning Mr. Trump particularly, Mr. Brooks added: “Ask God to take political contempt out of your coronary heart. And generally when it’s too exhausting, ask God that will help you faux it.”
Mr. Trump made no effort to faux it. Whereas the remainder of the room gave Mr. Brooks a standing ovation, he clapped politely however remained seated till lastly rising on the finish. “Arthur, I don’t know if I agree with you,” Mr. Trump stated when he took the microphone. “I don’t know if Arthur goes to love what I’m going to say.”
He then launched into his grievances about impeachment. By the top of his speech, which included most of the strains from his marketing campaign occasions about his insurance policies along with feedback extra particularly about non secular freedom, Mr. Trump appeared to acknowledge that his message was not consistent with the love-your-enemies theme.
“I apologize, I’m making an attempt to study,” he stated. “It’s not simple. It’s not simple. After they impeach you for nothing, then you definitely’re supposed to love them? It’s not simple, of us. I do my greatest.”