President Donald Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 5, and once again returned to a topic he’s raised before: whether he’ll ever make it to heaven.
During his nearly 80-minute speech, Trump, 79, portrayed himself as someone working toward faith while openly doubting he meets the standard.
“I just don’t think I qualify. I don’t think there’s a thing I can do,” Trump mused. “But all of these good things I’m doing, including for religion — religion is back now, hotter than ever before.”
He leaned into the political divide over faith, claiming he’s done “more for religion than any other president” and taking aim at his opponents.
“I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat,” Trump said.
Later, he paused to poke fun at House Speaker Mike Johnson, describing Johnson’s habit of praying before meals.
“He’ll say to me sometimes at lunch, ‘Sir, may we pray?’ I’ll say, ‘Excuse me? We’re having lunch,’ ” Trump laughed, before adding, “It’s okay with me.”
Trump closed his remarks with a Bible quote from Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
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He then added, “I don’t know if that applies to me necessarily. I’m not so sure… I try.”
The National Prayer Breakfast wasn’t the first time Trump has publicly speculated about salvation.
In July 2025, the Trump campaign sent out fundraising emails that read, “I want to try and get to Heaven.”
“Last year, I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen!” the email said, referring to the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
“But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” he continued. “I certainly wasn’t supposed to survive an assassin’s bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did. SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can’t do it alone.”
During a phone interview with Fox & Friends the following month, Trump suggested that helping broker peace between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could count as a spiritual credit—if it helped stop the killing in their ongoing war.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” Trump said at the time.
“I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole,” he added. “But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
At the time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that she didn’t believe Trump was joking. “I think the president was serious,” she said. “I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well.”
A few months later, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continued, Trump appeared to soften his earlier optimism. Asked about those August comments, he said on Oct. 12 that he had been “being a little cute” when he talked about heaven as if it were within reach.
“I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven,” he admitted. “I really don’t. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound.”
“I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One,” he added. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”
