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On 2 June 2019, the Christian Post reported that President Donald Trump had made an impromptu visit to the McLean Bible Church just outside Washington, D.C., before departing on a visit to the United Kingdom. There, Pastor David Platt supposedly prayed for Trump in front of his gathered flock. Readers questioned whether the report could be believed, perhaps because Platt has distinguished himself from other mega-church pastors who have endorsed Trump by remaining nonpartisan himself. The event did take place, though, with video of Platt's praying for Trump being posted on social media by Bloomberg: Pastor Platt wrote a lengthy explanation for why he agreed to pray for the president in front of his congregation. In short, he said, he was caught off guard by Trump's visit and his request, and he relied on his best interpretation of Biblical text to make a split-second decision about what to do. He acknowledged that some in his congregation had been hurt by his choice: The prayer did bring a backlash Platt's way. Jonathan Merritt, an author and journalist who writes about religion, took to Twitter to criticize Platt for, as he saw it, providing a cynical photo-op for an irreligious politician in a way that alienated many Christians. I’m sure David Platt was only thinking about the content of the prayer too, Merritt wrote. But in that situation, a pastor must consider the optics and how they may be being used. Did you hear the rapid fire clicks of cameras? This was a photo op for a politician who isn’t remotely religious: According to a March 2019 analysis of survey data collected by the Pew Research Center, 69 per cent of white evangelical protestants say they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president.
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