Trump jokes he ‘hangs around’ Mike Johnson because he feels ‘protected’ at Prayer Breakfast
President Donald Trump joked about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s religious devotion during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, recounting how Johnson asks to pray before meals, even during lunch, as Trump described it.
The 74th annual bipartisan event was held in Washington and attended by lawmakers, faith leaders and dignitaries.
"Did you know that, Mr. Speaker, you know, Mike Johnson’s a very religious person, that he does not hide it?" Trump said. "He’ll say to me sometimes at lunch, ‘Sir, may we pray?’ I say, ‘Excuse me, we’re having lunch in the Oval.’ It’s okay with me. But, he’s a very religious person and he is popular, and he’s doing an unbelievable job."
Trump followed the joke with praise for Johnson, saying, "I think God is watching over you. God is watching over him."
"I don’t know about me," Trump added, before continuing: "So I hang around with him because I feel I’m protected a little bit."
The comments came as Trump used the annual gathering, according to his remarks, to emphasize what he described as a renewed embrace of religion in public life.
"In 2025, more copies of the Holy Bible were sold in the United States than at any time in the last 100 years," Trump said. He also claimed that, in the last year, "young Americans attended church at nearly twice the rate as they did four years ago."
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Trump also announced plans for a national prayer gathering on the National Mall later this year.
"I’m pleased to announce that on May 17th, 2026, that we’re inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall, to pray, to give thanks, and to return," Trump said. "We’re going to rededicate America as one nation under God."
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and evangelical Christian, has frequently spoken publicly about the role of faith in his personal life and leadership since becoming speaker.
"Today, President Trump will unite our country through the power of prayer at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital leading up to the event.
"President Trump has made unprecedented strides to protect our God-given rights and has delivered on his promise to reverse Joe Biden’s divisive policies that weaponized the federal government against men and women of faith. President Trump has secured major victories for religious freedom – from defending innocent life to restoring biological truth and protecting parents’ fundamental rights."
The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.