WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump celebrated the National Day of Prayer by announcing a White House initiative that he said would underpin policies recognizing the “vital role” of religion in the country. “America is a nation of believers,” he said.
Shortly before the Rose Garden event Thursday, Trump acknowledged reimbursing his personal attorney for hush money the lawyer paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. The White House says Trump denies that accusation, and Trump had claimed no knowledge of the financial arrangement.
President Donald Trump speaks during a “National Day of Prayer” event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 3, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Trump tweeted before the faith event that the payments just before the 2016 election “had nothing to do with the campaign.”
The president did not address the issue in his public remarks, focusing instead on the power of prayer as a centerpiece of American life.
“Faith has shaped our families and it’s shaped our communities,” he said. “It’s inspired our commitment to charity and our defense of liberty, and faith has forged the identity and the destiny of this great nation that we all love.”