White House defends Trump after archbishop apologises over ‘manipulated’ prayer moment ahead of midterms

Catholic Archbishops and Bishops pray with President Trump in the Oval Office.

The White House has defended US President Donald Trump after Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologised for participating in an Oval Office prayer with the president, accusing the administration of turning the religious gathering into a political photo opportunity less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.Grob, in a statement titled “A Public Apology” published on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s website on Sunday, said the White House had distributed photographs and video of the October 22 meeting without the consent of the 12 participating bishops. He accused the administration of manipulating a sacred moment for partisan political purposes.The archbishop said he had received messages from Catholics concerned that his participation could be interpreted as an endorsement of Trump or his administration. He expressed regret over the distress caused by his involvement, adding that he had reservations about attending the meeting but wished he had given them greater consideration.“I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way,” Grob said.“We came in good faith to try to work for the betterment of our fellow human beings, to ease their suffering, to build up the common good, and to pray with a president, not to pose for a political photo opportunity to benefit the few,” he added.White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers defended Trump’s record on religious freedom and issues important to Catholic Americans in a statement to Fox News Digital following Grob’s apology.“There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it,” Rogers said, citing the administration’s actions on religious liberty, pardons for anti-abortion activists and parental rights.The meeting, organised by the conservative Heritage Foundation, was intended to discuss issues including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and human dignity, according to Grob.After a discussion with White House officials and advisers, the bishops entered the Oval Office, where Trump presented commemorative tokens before praying with them. Grob said the bishops had been informed that there would be an opportunity to pray with the president, but were unaware that a video was being recorded and had not given permission for the footage or photographs to be publicly distributed.Des Moines Bishop William Joensen, another participant, also criticised the political implications of the gathering in a statement published on Saturday. He said the bishops had been aware that the meeting took place close to a national election but had not intended to endorse any candidate or political party.“In no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate,” Joensen said, adding that the gathering had been exploited for partisan purposes.Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer, also addressed the controversy in an interview with the Denver Catholic. He acknowledged concerns that the footage could be used politically but defended the decision to pray with Trump, saying Catholics traditionally pray for elected officials regardless of political disagreements.“I wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, it was a great opportunity to raise important issues for the Church’s benefit,” Golka said, adding that he had recognised the possibility that the meeting could be shared publicly and used for political purposes.“But as I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do,” he said. “We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”The controversy comes amid disagreements between Catholic leaders and the Trump administration over immigration policy. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops sued the administration in February 2025 over the suspension of refugee resettlement funding.Grob had also joined other Wisconsin bishops earlier this year in issuing a statement criticising the administration’s treatment of immigrants.Other Catholic leaders have urged continued engagement with the administration despite policy differences. Bishop Robert Barron, a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, cautioned against demonising the president in a May interview with Fox News Digital.“What I don’t want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration,” Barron said.