At the National Prayer Breakfast, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) did something rare in Washington: he told the truth — in a prayer — while standing just feet away from Donald Trump.
And it was tough to hear.
With Trump standing behind him, eyes downcast, Jackson calmly asked God to do what Trump seems unable to do: develop a conscience.
“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 dancing or to reduce the country into a chaotic, suffering mess,” Jackson said.
“And it is because of this that we pray that the best of this president would rise among us for the sake of this nation, for the sake of this world, we pray that goodness and mercy would announce themselves in his life in new and powerful ways.”
He prayed that the president would be “mindful of the poor,” focus on helping people in the Midwest, and remember that families in places like Minneapolis are grieving — not seeking culture wars.
In short, Jackson said this presidency isn’t working for real people, but he had the chance to say it directly to the person who needs to hear it most.
Jackson, the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, referenced Matthew 25 — the passage where faith is judged by how we treat “the least of these.”
It was a clear message that compassion isn’t “wokeness,” it’s Christianity. And that holding on to power while people suffer isn’t strength — it’s moral decay.
“Many people aren’t lazy,” Jackson prayed.
“Many people are just tired. Many people simply are not okay.”
That line struck like a thunderbolt.
The room cheered.
Online, progressives and faith leaders praised Jackson for speaking truth to power in the style of Martin Luther King, Jr. — who, as many pointed out, is literally Jackson’s godfather. Courage, as one observer noted, is contagious.
Others joked that Jackson might face consequences.
“Somebody’s about to get audited,” one person said — because under Trump, even praying can feel like an act of defiance.
And that’s the most telling part.
When a call for compassion, dignity, and shared humanity is immediately seen as a direct challenge to Trump and the GOP, it shows exactly what they stand for now.
Jonathan Jackson didn’t yell.
He didn’t insult. He didn’t try to make a spectacle. He just prayed.
And by doing so, he revealed the emptiness at the core of Trump’s so-called values — right there at the breakfast table.
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