Senate

Senators inviting Trump to speak at National Prayer Breakfast

by Jordain Carney - 12/13/16 3:35 PM ET

Two senators are inviting Donald Trump to speak at next year’s National Prayer Breakfast.

Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) said they will meet with the president-elect on Wednesday, noting that every president since President Dwight Eisenhower has spoken at the breakfast.

The 2017 National Prayer Breakfast, which is hosted by lawmakers, is scheduled to take place on Feb. 2.

{mosads}Boozman and Coons stressed the nonpartisan nature of the breakfast. Asked if he would bring up concerns about Trump’s Cabinet selections, Coons told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting would be “brief” and focused on the breakfast.

“It is a unique time to set aside differences and stand together as a country,” he said in a separate statement. “I urge President-elect Trump to continue both the traditions of inclusiveness and of Presidents taking an active role in the prayer breakfast.”

Boozman added that “the National Prayer Breakfast is an important time to set aside partisanship and come together to share faith, fellowship and prayer.”

Obama spoke at the breakfast this year, using the speech to stress religious tolerance. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, rose to national prominence after speaking at the breakfast in 2012, with an address focused on the national debt and failures of the Affordable Care Act.

Tags Chris Coons Donald Trump John Boozman