Overview
- The closed-door Easter lunch at the White House, held Wednesday, featured Paula White‑Cain likening Trump's trials to Jesus and promising future victory.
- Video of the event appeared on the official White House site and YouTube then was removed after reporters and a DNC account downloaded clips that now circulate widely.
- Trump, recounting Palm Sunday, told guests “They call me king now,” as evangelical leaders laid hands on him during prayers crediting God with saving his life and the 2024 win.
- Clergy and theologians across traditions labeled the comparisons blasphemous, with Jesuit priest James Martin saying public prayers should not equate a leader with the “sinless Son of God.”
- The episode raised fresh questions about transparency and the White House faith office while intensifying an ongoing fight over using sacred language for partisan ends during Holy Week.