Overview
- Paula White-Cain compared President Trump to Jesus at a closed White House Easter lunch Wednesday, telling him he had been “betrayed and arrested and falsely accused.”
- The White House posted the hour-long video to its website and YouTube, then removed it, but reporters and a Democratic National Committee account had already downloaded clips.
- Trump also retold the Palm Sunday story and said, “They call me king now,” in footage that continues to circulate after the deletion.
- Religious leaders and theologians, including Jesuit priest James Martin and Catholic scholar Rich Raho, condemned the comparison as blasphemous, with some noting Bishop Robert Barron was onstage during the remarks.
- The video shows faith leaders laying hands on Trump in prayer and Ralph Reed crediting God with saving his life twice and with his 2024 win, intensifying debate over politicized religious rhetoric and the control of official event records.