'A spiritual battle': Pastors embrace Trump's grievances in prayers at his rallies

DES MOINES, Iowa — A different kind of political speech is taking center stage at the rallies of former President Donald Trump: the opening prayer.

The invocations have become their own political call to action, sometimes punctuated with applause lines and partisan language, invoking the same falsehoods and vindictiveness that Trump himself spreads.

At a December rally in Coralville, Iowa, the Rev. Joel Tenney spoke ahead of Trump, telling the several hundred supporters gathered that he wanted to talk to them “as a pastor.”

“We have witnessed a sitting president weaponize the entire legal system to try and steal an election and imprison his leading opponent, Donald Trump, despite committing no crime,” he said.

“We must re-elect President Trump for the third time,” Tenney said, echoing Trump’s “big lie” rhetoric. He then said that the upcoming election “is part of a spiritual battle” with “demonic forces at play.”

His voice trembling at times like a tent revival preacher behind a Trump-emblazoned podium, he continued: “When Donald Trump becomes the 47th President of the United States, there will be retribution against all those who have promoted evil in this country.”

Then Tenney prayed.

“God, I pray that, Lord, you would help us to re-elect President Donald Trump and restore America to its greatness,” he said.

The invocations are providing a unique insight into the evangelical world’s acceptance of Trump’s conspiracy theories, along with the embrace of his nationalism and promises of retribution.

Celebrity pastors, such as Paula White and Kenneth Copeland, who preach the “prosperity gospel,” have long stood by Trump’s side, giving him early credibility in their corner of Christianity. Now, the pastors taking the