CV NEWS FEED // During the Feb. 6 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump called for a renewed focus on faith in America, acknowledging the essential role of religion in the nation’s history and attributing his survival of an assassination attempt to divine intervention.
“From the earliest days of our Republic, faith in God has always been the ultimate source of the strength that beats in the hearts of our nation,” the president told the crowd, which included members of Congress and religious leaders from around the country and the world. “We have to bring religion back.”
He later added, “It’s His hand that guides us every single step of the way.”
Trump pointed to historical figures such as George Washington, John Winthrop, and Roger Williams as examples of leaders whose faith in God was central to America’s foundation.
“The stories of legends like Washington, Winthrop and Williams remind us that without faith in God there would be no American story,” the president said. “Every citizen should be proud of this exceptional heritage. We have an unbelievable heritage, and we have to use that and make life better for everyone.”
As the US nears its 250th anniversary, Trump announced that he signed an executive order to restart the process of establishing the National Garden of American Heroes, a park featuring statues of historical American heroes.
“We’re going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people from our country,” the president said. “We’re not going to be tearing down, we’re going to be building up.”
He voiced hope that Congress would fully fund the project, which he called “something very special” and “wonderfully unifying.”
Reflecting on his personal faith, Trump recalled the attempt on his life while he was campaigning in Pennsylvania, stating that he felt God intervened to protect him.
He described how astonished his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, who are “really good shooters,” were that the attacker missed the shot. Donald noted that the shooter’s miss was the equivalent of failing to sink a putt from 1 foot away.
“You can’t miss,” Trump said.
According to Trump, the experience had a profound impact on Donald Jr.’s faith.
“He gained some religion from it—he went up 25 percent,” Trump joked. “And if you know him, that’s a lot.”
His son later told him, “There had to be somebody who saved you, and I think I know who it was.”
“God did that,” Trump said. “I mean, it had to be. The chances of turning … there’s no reason to turn to the right.”
He joked about how the bullet didn’t affect his hair, even if it touched it.
“But honestly, it changed something in me,” he continued. “I feel even stronger. I believed in God [before], but I feel much more strongly about it. Something happened.”
The president concluded with a call to restore faith’s role in public life, saying that religion must be “a much more important factor.”
“People of religion are going to be happy again,” he said. “And I really believe you can’t be happy without religion, without that belief. I really just don’t see how you can be. So let’s bring religion back. Let’s bring God back into our lives.”