Trump Tweeted ‘T.V. Producer Mark Burnett of Our Wonderful 14 Season Apprentice Triumph, Will Be There’
President Donald Trump Thursday morning will address attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Among the more than three thousand expected to attend will be representatives of anti-gay hate groups, evangelical Christian extremists, and unlike in years past, dozens of Russians.
“As many as 60 representatives from Russia’s religious and political elite are expected to attend, more than three times last year’s number,” CNN reports. “One Russian official who was invited, Aleksandr Zharkov, told the Russian business newspaper RBC, ‘It’s a very unique situation, because despite all these difficulties we have (in relations with the US), the quota for Russians is very high this year.'”
The annual event is hosted each year by a secretive and shadowy anti-gay group known as The Fellowship. Its members include past and present top U.S. congressional lawmakers, along with those from other countries. Among them, David Bahati, the father of Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” legislation. The Fellowship, also known as The Family, helped fuel the rise of Christian evangelical extremism in Uganda.
At last year’s National Prayer Breakfast President Trump promised to “get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment,” a law that prohibits some non-profits and religious organizations from endorsing political candidates. While he may brag today that he has done so, the law remains in existence, although Trump has signed an executive order effectively diminishing its strength.Â
Trump’s speech is scheduled for 8 AM ET. Watch live:
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license