President Donald Trump spoke to White House press before his Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, inviting them to stay for a prayer led by Ben Carson, his secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
“You need the prayer more than I do, I think. You may be the only ones. Maybe a good solid prayer, and they’ll be honest men. Is that possible?” he joked prior to the prayer.
Carson prayed:
Our kind Father in Heaven, we’re so thankful for the opportunity and the freedom that You’ve granted us in this country. We thank You for the president and for Cabinet members, who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to perhaps provide a better future for those who come behind us. We’re thankful for the unity in Congress that has presented an opportunity for our economy to expand so that we can fight the corrosive debt that has been destroying our future. And we hope that that unity will spread even beyond party lines so that people recognize that we have a nation that is worth saving and recognize that nations divided against themselves cannot stand. In this time of discord, distrust, and dishonesty, we ask that You would give us a spirit of gratitude, compassion, and common sense, and give us the wisdom to be able to guide this great nation and the future. We ask in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sat on Trump’s right and Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis sat on Trump’s left.
Vice President Mike Pence praised Trump and his administration for finally delivering on major promises that he and Republicans in Congress promised, including tax cuts.
“Because of your determination, because of your leadership, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more, and we are making America great again,” he said.