Members of the Trump administration, Vice President J.D. Vance and White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt have condemned MSNBC host Jen Psaki for openly disapproving of citizens praying in response to the country’s most recent mass shooting in Minneapolis.
Psaki, who is also the former press secretary for the administration of President Joe Biden, expressed her concern on the social media app X expressing her disapproval of those offering prayers for the victims. “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers,” Psaki wrote.
Vice President Vance responded to Psaki’s comments, chastising her for the post, “We pray because our hearts are broken. We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action. Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”
The vice president added a second post, following up on the first, “Of all the weird left wing culture wars in the last few years, this is by far the most bizarre. ‘How dare you pray for innocent people in the midst of tragedy?!’ What are you even talking about?”
In addition, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also condemned Psaki’s comments, describing her post as “incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of Americans of faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer, who believe that prayer works.”
Despite this condemnation, there have still been members of the other side of the political aisle who have made similar expressions to Psaki’s. During a media briefing last Wednesday, Mayor in Minneapolis, Jacob Frey stated that the country should not talk about “thoughts and prayers.”
“These are American families, and the amount of pain that they are suffering right now is extraordinary. Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school, and they were in a church. These are kids that should be learning with their friends. They should be playing on the playground. They should be able to go to school or church or school without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance.” Frey said.
The exchange came only days after a trans-identifying assailant, Robin Westman, opened fire at a Mass, which was being held at Annunciation Catholic School’s church, in Minneapolis, USA., during the first week of the school year. He killed two children, aged 8 and 10, and injured 17 others, including 14 children. Seven of the injured victims, including two children, were reported to be in critical condition. Investigators have not determined a motive for the tragic attack, but disclosed that four search warrants carried out at the church and three other locations revealed “additional firearms”.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, later reported that Westman, who had been armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the back of the church.
