With President Donald Trump standing awkwardly behind him, a Democratic congressman used his prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast to urge Trump to “think of the families preparing to bury their loved ones in Minneapolis.”

Speaking at the bipartisan event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday shortly after Trump delivered a rambling speech, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) offered a prayer for “the future of this nation” and asked God to “lead this president to greater levels of compassion.”

Jackson, son of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, said: “Today we remind him that the lives of millions of people are in his hands and that he has the power to turn mourning into dance or reduce the country to a cosmic elegy of chaos and suffering.”

Jackson went on to ask Trump to be “mindful of the poor” and “invest in alleviating the suffering occurring on farms in the Midwest, in families preparing to bury their loved ones in Minneapolis.”

He added that “we are all Americans, all made in the image of God, and none of us are free unless we all have our freedoms protected.” (See video at the end of the story).

When he finished the sentence, Trump shook Jackson’s hand and appeared to say, “Great words.”

Representative Jonathan Jackson (far left) speaks as President Donald Trump listens during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.
Representative Jonathan Jackson (far left) speaks as President Donald Trump listens during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.

SAÚL LOEB via Getty Images

During his speech, the Republican president said he did not know “how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat.”

The plea to Trump came amid weeks of chaos in Minnesota as a result of his administration’s immigration crackdown, and the president’s rhetoric helped sow discord.

The president has baselessly accused the state of harboring thousands of violent undocumented immigrants, calling them “the worst of the worst.”

Against a backdrop of anti-influx protests, federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens (Renee Good, 37, and Alex Pretti, also 37), in separate incidents.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced that it is scaling back immigration operations in Minnesota by withdrawing about 700 of the roughly 3,000 federal agents sent to the state.

Speaking to NBC News that same day, Trump admitted that he could have taken “a little bit of a softer touch” in the region.

Wow, with Trump standing behind him, a man (not sure who he is) offers this prayer:”We pray that you will keep the poor in mind and be involved in alleviating the suffering of families preparing to bury their loved ones in Minneapolis.” pic.twitter.com/toJk9vIboF

– Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2026

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Trump and Stephen Miller called those who opposed their immigration enforcement “terrorists” for weeks, leading to the shooting deaths of two American citizens.

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“We cry for a world, a country that allows five-year-olds to be legally kidnapped and protesters massacred,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin said at a prayer service.

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Wow, with Trump standing behind him, a man (not sure who he is) offers this prayer: “We pray that you will be mindful of the poor and invested in alleviating the suffering of families preparing to die.” and his loved ones in Minneapolis.” pic.twitter.com/toJk9vIboF

– Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2026