Evan Vucci/AP
President Donald Trump holds up a newspaper with the headline that reads "ACQUITTED" during the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast
- At Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump boasted about his acquittal in the Senate's impeachment trial as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat just feet away.
- Trump began the usually nonpartisan prayer breakfast by proudly displaying newspapers with news of his acquittal on the front page.
- "As everybody knows, my family, our great country, and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people," Trump said. "They have done everything possible to destroy us."
- "I don't like people who use their faith as justification to do something they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that is not so," Trump said in a dig at both Pelosi and Sen. Mitt Romney.
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President Donald Trump used the usually solemn occasion of the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday to gloat about his acquittal in the Senate's impeachment with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sitting just feet away from him.
After a two-week-long trial, the Senate voted to acquit Trump on two impeachment articles on Wednesday, clearing him on the charge of abuse of power by a vote of 52-48 and moving to clear him on the charge of obstruction of Congress by a 53-47 vote.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the sole Republican to break with his party by voting to convict Trump for abuse of power, incurring Trump and the GOP's wrath.
Trump began the prayer breakfast by proudly displaying newspaper covers reporting the news of his acquittal on the front page.
Right at the outset of his remarks at the prayer breakfast, Trump blasted the Democrats and Pelosi for impeaching him, injecting a highly political and adversarial tone into what is usually a nonpartisan faith event.
"As everybody knows, my family, our great country, and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people," Trump said. "They have done everything possible to destroy us, and in so doing, have very badly hurt our nation. They know what they are doing is wrong, but they have put themselves far ahead of our great country."
Trump then took swipes at Pelosi and Romney, both of whom frequently draw on their faith to inform and explain their decisions in public life. Pelosi is Catholic and she regularly prays for her political foes including Trump, while Romney is a devout Mormon.
"I don't like people who use their faith as justification to do something they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that is not so. So many people have been hurt, and we can not let that go on," he said.
In explaining his decision to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power charge on the Senate floor, Romney invoked his faith and his belief that "our Constitution was inspired by Providence."
"I support a great deal of what the president has done. I have voted with him 80 percent of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside," he said.
While Pelosi and Trump have had an often frosty relationship since she assumed the speakership a year ago, Pelosi became one of Trump's biggest foes when she opened an impeachment inquiry into Trump's conduct towards Ukraine, and oversaw the House impeaching him on two charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress.
Earlier in the week, tensions between Trump and Pelosi spilled out into the open at Trump's third State of the Union address.
After Trump appeared to snub the House speaker when she attempted to shake his hand before his speech, Pelosi openly ripped up a copy of his speech and tossed it aside as Trump finished his address left the lectern to applause from the chamber.
As she exited the chamber, Pelosi told reporters that she ripped up the speech because "it was the courteous thing to do considering the alternatives."
Read more:
Trump ripped into Romney as a 'Democrat secret asset' for voting to convict him of abuse of power in the impeachment trial
Mitt Romney caught the White House off guard by breaking from the GOP with his vote to convict Trump
Tension between Trump and Pelosi dominated the SOTU, beginning with a snubbed handshake and ending with a ripped-up speech
TRUMP ACQUITTED: Republican-controlled Senate clears Trump of 2 impeachment charges after a bitter trial
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