“That’s news! Go tell the press.”
Those are the words President Donald Trump uttered to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after the incoming House speaker told him she prays for him, according to NBC News.
Pelosi made the comments to the president during a meeting Tuesday at the Oval Office. The Democratic lawmaker told reporters during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, “I did tell the president that I prayed for him.”
I’m holding my weekly press conference here at the Capitol. https://t.co/6kPYBpp6JW
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 13, 2018
“I myself thought we would open the meeting with a prayer which I did once we privately had the meeting outside the press if you call that private because there were many people in the room,” Pelosi explained.
The 78-year-old congresswoman told Trump about 1 Kings 3. The Old Testament passage chronicles Solomon’s prayer to God, asking the Lord for wisdom as he takes the reins from King David.
“I told [Trump] about Solomon, King Solomon, when he was to become king of the Jews, he prayed to God and said, ‘How can I ever follow King David, King David, King of the Jews? I need you to give me great understanding and wisdom, Lord,’” Pelosi explained, “and after he prayed and prayed and prayed, a guy came to him and said, ‘Solomon, because you did not ask for longevity, great wealth or vengeance against your enemy, I will give you more wisdom than anyone has ever had — the wisdom of Solomon.’”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was also included in the White House meeting. The liberal politicians were meeting with Trump to discuss how to keep the government funded through the Dec. 21 deadline to prevent a shutdown.
For his part, the president has said he’s prepared to shutter the federal government in order to secure the $5 billion he wants to fund the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
This is not the first time Pelosi has said she prays for the Republican president. Following Trump’s election in November 2016, Pelosi congratulated the billionaire businessman and said she prays “for his success.”