Trump rally prayers use conspiracy theories to wage 'spiritual battle': report

An increasingly common feature of Trump rallies is their opening prayer, which in some ways is becoming it own political call to action, according to NBC News.

One opening prayer cited by NBC News was delivered by the Rev. Joel Tenney during a December rally in Coralville, Iowa.

“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, adding that Trump must be elected for a "third time" and that the 2024 election is a "spiritual battle" with "demonic forces" at play.

“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," Tenney said.

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According to NBC News' Dan Gallo, Vaughn Hillyard, and Jake Traylor, the invocations demonstrate how the pro-Trump evangelical movement has incorporated conspiracy theories and biblical vengeance themes into its rhetoric.

"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 political stage across the country are most often local pastors with more immediate followings — further proof that Trump’s reach goes well beyond the television megachurches and into local congregations that were once more skeptical of a somewhat vulgar New York real estate tycoon and casino owner."

Read the full report at NBC News.