Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Inner City Pastors
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
DR. MOODY: Thank you for being compassionate and caring about all people.
THE PRESIDENT: It's a great state, too.
DR. MOODY: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Great people. Thank you.
BISHOP SEARCY: Mr. President, Kyle Searcy - Montgomery, Alabama also. I want to echo all that's been said. We're very grateful for your heart toward criminal justice reform, your heart for the urban community. It's very - very amazing.
Montgomery, Alabama is a city that's known for unity and bringing people together. And so many things have come out of that city. And it's just very encouraging that you have a heart to begin to bring people together, work across the aisle to get things done. Many people on our team pray for you every single day.
THE PRESIDENT: That's really nice. I appreciate it, both. Thank you very much.
DR. GOUDEAUX: Mr. President, I'm Phillip Goudeaux from Sacramento, California. And don't give up on California. (Laughter.)
PARTICIPANT: I agree. (Laughs.)
THE PRESIDENT: (Inaudible.)
DR. GOUDEAUX: Please don't give up on California and on Sacramento. I'm right in the capital there, and we're working in every area to try to make a difference in people's lives.
So, I guess the greatest word I can say for you, Mr. President, is that you have given this country expectations, given us a new hope, a new excitement to believe that things are getting better and going to get better. And we appreciate that leadership - your tenacity to keep pushing in against all the opposition that comes against you. Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate that. Thank you very much. It's very nice.
MR. HAYES: Mr. President, Travis Hayes. I'm Travis Hayes, and I'm the CFO of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina. I'm honored to be here among - in the presence of greatness. And I'm excited about the opportunity to learn more. I used to be in law enforcement, so I'm really excited to hear about these programs with regards to folks who are just being released from prison and getting them back in the workplace.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
PASTOR LOWE: Mr. President, Pastor Julian Lowe from Oasis Church in Los Angeles. And I've very grateful for this administration and for you personally. I didn't grow up in the church, and I was taught growing up that faith and government were completely separated and completely different. So you offering this roundtable, and giving pastors and faith leaders a voice throughout the country - I heard about the meeting you had yesterday as well, with other faith leaders - and so it's very encouraging, inspiring, and gives me hope to take back to the people of Los Angeles.
I'm honored to be here. And thank you very much.
THE PRESIDENT: My honor. Thank you.
PASTOR PEREZ: Mr. President, Benny Perez from Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm so honored to be here with all these incredible men and women. Thank you so much.
Being a Hispanic leader, to see what is happening in the Hispanic community, it is the largest, as you know, ethnic community in America. And to have the lowest unemployment rate and to see my family members and my community being really empowered to live a life and not just dream, but actually see the dream become a reality.
Thank you for all that you're doing - it's making a huge difference in Las Vegas - and for acknowledging the churches as we partner with you and the government to make a huge difference in Las Vegas and beyond.
Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you. You know, the churches weren't so much acknowledged, you know that, over the last number of years. We acknowledge.
PASTOR PEREZ: Right. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: These are great, great people.
PASTOR PEREZ: Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Paula?
PASTOR WHITE: Pastor Paula White from the Destiny Christian Center. And it's an honor to serve you with our faith initiative and opportunity.
Thank you for bringing the faith-based back to the White House and for all the great things you continue to do.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Paula. Thank you for everything.
PASTOR WHITE: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Jared, would you like to say something?
MR. KUSHNER: Sure. When you asked me to lead your efforts to try to reform our country's prisons and to see what we could do from the federal government, we were running into a little bit of a problem of politics in Congress. And so I reached out to a lot of you to see if you could help get the word out in your communities and to try to let the people in Washington know that making progress on this issue is more important than whatever political differences people may have.
You guys came to the White House. You all mobilized your communities. And we were able to get the bill through the House, and hopefully we'll have the same results in the Senate.
What happened from there, though, is it opened a dialogue between this administration and a lot of you, which has led us to believe that a lot of the policies we've been pushing, under the President's leadership, do help all your communities and do help your different places where you're leading. And it's enabled us to open up a further dialogue.
So I'm very happy today for everyone to be here today to talk about this administration's efforts for prison reform, but also to discuss what we can work on further together to continue to make a difference for all Americans.
THE PRESIDENT: That's really nice. And, you know, Jared is working on a lot of very important things. But this has become, I think, just about number one on your list. Who would have thought? (Laughter.) Who would have thought? It's just been great the way you've done. I think I speak for the room when I say we appreciate it. Great job.
Marvin.
MR. WINANS JR.: Mr. President, it's an honor to be here. When you asked us to speak, the first thing I thought about was my grandfather, and how it's an honor to be here. And, you know, he passed away a few years ago. But he raised 10 kids in the inner city of Detroit.
And when you were speaking, you were talking about how important faith was in the community and how it helps the family. And my grandfather did that, working odd jobs. He was a taxi driver. He cut hair. He did everything possible. But he had them in church and he kept them, you know, together.
He was with his wife - married for, I think, around 50 years before he passed away. But our family was able to do things that a lot of families, you know, aren't able to do without the assistance of faith and having church and having families together.
And so to hear you talking about, you know, keeping that in communities, I think, is super important. And I'm just happy for this opportunity. And just God bless you and everything you're doing. And thank you, Pastor Paula, as well.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Marvin. Great family. Great family.
MR. SMITH: Mr. President, it's been an honor to serve you in this administration. Today is a watershed moment - this opportunity to learn about a community that has felt left behind for years. And the things that you're doing under your leadership could drastically change situations and speak for people who can't speak for themselves. Each one of these leaders speak for a forgotten people around this country who have dealt with pain, regardless of who was President. And it's an opportunity for you to show your leadership to move things in a different direction.
So it's been an honor to serve, and I look forward to continue to workwith you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. That's very nice. I appreciate it. Darrell?
PASTOR SCOTT: Pastor Darrell Scott. I've had the honor and privilege to work with then-candidate, now President Trump, and to observe him behind the scenes and have a number of personal conversations with him.
And people ask me why do I defend him so vociferously. And I say it's easy for me to do it because I know him, and he's shown me his heart, and I know he has a heart for all Americans.
And I will say this: This administration has taken a lot of people by surprise. And it's going to surprise you guys even more, because this is probably the most proactive administration regarding urban America and the faith-based community in my lifetime. And I'll be 60 years old in December.
But when I think back on - well, I mean, I use good hair dye. (Laughter.) And I've got a great makeup artist.
But, to be honest, this is probably going to be the - and I'm going to say this at this table - the most pro-black President that we've had in our lifetime because - and I try to, you know, analyze the people that I encounter. This President actually wants to prove something to our community, our faith-based community and our ethnic community.
The last President didn't feel like he had to. He felt like he didn't have to prove it. He got a pass. This President is - this administration is probably going to be more proactive regarding urban revitalization and prison reform than any President in your lifetime.
If we work together, give him a chance. Don't pay any attention to these guys back here. (Laughs.) And I'll promise you, we will do something that - we will - this administration will continue to make history. It's going to be a lot of positive changes. Great things are on the horizon, I promise.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I have to say one thing about Darrell. So, I didn't know him at all. And I'm watching one of the, I would say, "unfriendly" groups of broadcasters, to put it nicely. And I said, "Who is that guy?" He was destroying them. I say, "Who is he?" And then I saw him two or three times. And I said, "I have to meet him."
But I want to just thank you. You have been incredible. You are some voice. And when I heard - okay, tell them, how long are you married? Tell me.
PASTOR SCOTT: Thirty-nine years - thirty-eight years.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay. So I thought he was like 35 years old. (Laughter.) So did you. And then he said, "Say hello to my wife." And he said, "I've been married 39 years." I said, "You're married 39 years? I thought you were 35 years old." Right? (Laughter.)
But you're doing a good job. You're obviously doing it right because you look great and we really appreciate it.
PASTOR SCOTT: Yeah, we're going to be all right.
THE PRESIDENT: Right from the beginning.
PASTOR SCOTT: Ja'Ron has been working with us a lot and, you know -
THE PRESIDENT: Great.
PASTOR SCOTT: - he used to live on my street when he was a kid. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Good job.
PASTOR SCOTT: The same city. Yeah, so.
MR. SMITH: Small world.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Darrell. Appreciate it.
BISHOP COBARIS: Mr. President, I'm Bishop Kelvin L. Cobaris, the Impact Church of Orlando, Florida. I want to thank you, and I echo the sentiments of all of the colleagues that have already spoken for your work as it relates to prison reform. And I definitely thank you for your commitment to partnering with the faith-based community.
I happen to be in many rooms, and in one room in particular, and we had a meeting a year ago in the Oval Office. And you said to all of the faith leaders standing around your desk that "I'm going to untie the hands of the faith-based community. I am going to free you and take the muzzle off of your mouth."
And, in a year's time, I have watched you, day by day, do just that, by freeing the faith community and partnering with us to do what we've been called to do, and that is to impact our communities. So thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, one of the big things we've done is the Johnson Amendment. You know, you're free to do what you want to do now. You couldn't - you couldn't talk because you were afraid of a lot of bad repercussion. And we - as you know, we've taken that off. That's a bad - that was a bad thing.
DR. KING: Yes, it was.
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