Catholic Leaders Distance Themselves After Oval Office Prayer Video

In the weeks preceding the 2026 midterm elections, a White House official posted a video showing a group of Catholic archbishops and bishops praying behind President Donald Trump’s desk in the Oval Office. The clip, shared on the platform X, was recorded without the clergy’s knowledge and quickly generated backlash from both private circles and social media. In response, several senior Catholic figures issued statements distancing their institutions from the administration.

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Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications adviser, uploaded the footage in late October. According to the archbishops, they had been invited for a policy discussion and a private prayer session. Instead, they were asked to stand behind the president’s desk, after which the video was filmed and disseminated publicly without consent.

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Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob Sunday issued a public apology, emphasizing that the gathering was never intended as an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party. He clarified that the bishops had been misled about the nature of the event and expressed regret over the misunderstanding. Similar statements were released by eleven other bishops, all asserting that the prayer was a private act, not a political statement.

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• “The meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party,” — Milwaukee ArchbishopJeffrey Grobon Sunday

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The episode adds to a growing scrutiny of the administration’s outreach to religious leaders as the midterms approach. By publicly separating themselves from the president, the Catholic hierarchy signals a reluctance to be perceived as partisan allies, a stance that could influence voter perceptions in key swing states where Catholic voters constitute a notable demographic.

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