President Donald Trump is responding to the criticism he has faced over his appearance at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
During Trump’s interview on Fox News Radio on Wednesday, host Brian Kilmeade shared responses from multiple religious leaders who expressed disapproval of the president’s visit to the church.
Trump responded by suggesting that many religious leaders “loved” the gesture while describing those who condemned him as members of the “opposition party.”
“Most religious leaders loved it,” Trump said. “I heard Franklin Graham this morning, thought it was great. I heard many other people think it was great, and it’s only the other side that didn’t like it, the opposing — the opposition party, as the expression goes.”
Trump went on to note that the church was set on fire Sunday evening amid protests in Washington, D.C.
“They burned down the church the day before,” he said. “I heard how nice and wonderful the protesters were over there. Really? Then why did they burned down the church the day before?”
Hear Trump’s full interview below:
As Trump said, Graham and other religious leaders have praised him for the gesture, publicly thanking him for visiting the church.
On Tuesday, Graham took to Facebook with a statement about the president’s visit to the church.
Franklin’s post and Trump’s comments follow a barrage of remarks criticizing the president for his comments on the protests and his use of the church’s sacred grounds for a “photo op.”
Along with Jesuit priest Rev. James Martin whom Kilmeade referenced, Pope Francis, Catholic Archbishop of Washington Wilton Gregory, Episcopal bishop Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and others have expressed concern about the visit, as previously reported on IJR.
Rev. Gini Gerbasi, rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Georgetown, has also weighed in, revealing she was outside the White House on Monday
Gerbasi was in the midst of the “aggression” by law enforcement officials to disperse protesters and clear the street so the president could walk across.
During an interview CNN, she recalled the chaos she witnessed and heard as “innocent protesters” were driven off church property.
Noting the flashbangs she heard as protesters were confronted, Gerbasi criticized law enforcement of desecrating Holy ground and turning it “into a literal battleground.”
Quite the split-screen here as Trump promises to dispatch "heavily armed soldiers" while protesters throw tear gas canisters away from the crowd. pic.twitter.com/kMlwTiCeLy
— Cameron Peters (@jcameronpeters) June 1, 2020
In response to criticism about the handling of protesters on Monday, U.S. Park Police insists tear gas was not used to disperse protesters, as previously reported on IJR. However, reporters have shared a different story of what occurred.
