Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner opened President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday at the White House with an inspiring Christian prayer.
In the room were his appointed Cabinet secretaries, 18 of whom have been confirmed by the Senate so far.
Trump asked Turner to open the meeting in prayer as the official stood next to him in the West Wing’s Cabinet room.
“Father, we thank you for this awesome privilege, Father, to be in your presence,” the HUD secretary began. “God, thank you that you’ve allowed us to see this day. The Bible says that ‘your mercies are new every morning,’ and Father God, we give you the glory and the honor.”
Turner continued thanking God for allowing them to be appointed to their positions and “anointing us to do this job.”
He then asked God to give both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance the wisdom they will need to lead the country.
“I pray for all of my colleagues that are here around the table and in this room. Lord God, we pray that we would lead with a righteous clarity,” he said.
.@SecretaryTurner leads President Trump’s cabinet in prayer as they open their first meeting of Trump 47 ???? pic.twitter.com/I9hNH5EBAW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 26, 2025
Turner pointed out, “The Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.’”
“Thank you for giving us this opportunity to restore faith in this country and be a blessing to the people of America,” he prayed.
Turner concluded, “Lord God, today in our meeting, we pray that you would be gloried in our conversation, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Trump turned to the HUD secretary as he was returning to his seat and said, “That’s a very good job that you did.”
In case you were wondering, @dcexaminer put together this handy little chart to map out the seating arrangement Trump’s first Cabinet meeting (via @OneGodPerJar) pic.twitter.com/UIm83ITcQb
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) February 26, 2025
Other Trump administration officials who attended the meeting but are not heads of agencies requiring Senate approval were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York — who is Trump’s nominee for United Nations ambassador and awaiting Senate confirmation — was also in attendance. The U.N. ambassador has been a cabinet-level position since President George W. Bush’s administration, NPR reported.
Stefanik has delayed giving up her House seat as Republicans seek a wider majority in the chamber in upcoming special elections, according to The New York Times. The GOP currently has a very low margin over the Democrats.
Honored to earn the nomination by President Trump to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to bring America First peace through strength to the world stage. Today the President hosted a historic first Cabinet meeting highlighting the successful results… pic.twitter.com/3KLL4ZPwWk
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) February 26, 2025
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, complimented the talent of those sitting around the table.
ELON MUSK: “This is an incredible group of people. I don’t think that such a talented team has actually ever been assembled. I think it’s literally the best cabinet that the country has ever had. And I think the company should be incredibly appreciative of the people in this… pic.twitter.com/3Qi1mv3aoM
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 26, 2025
“This is an incredible group of people, and I do not give false praise,” he said. “I don’t think that such a talented team has actually ever been assembled. I think it’s literally the best Cabinet that the country has ever had.”
Musk also explained the work DOGE is doing to root out waste and corruption in all the agencies the various secretaries lead.
“We think there a number of people on the government payroll who are dead,” he said.
Musk added that the email he sent out to all federal government employees was a “pulse check review” and not a performance review.
At President Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, @elonmusk explains the email that was sent out to federal employees:
– It was a “pulse check review.”
– “We think there a number of people on the government payroll who are dead.”
– President Trump asked me “to be more aggressive.”
-… pic.twitter.com/8iMCCwWAaF— Paul A. Szypula ???????? (@Bubblebathgirl) February 26, 2025
One distinctive about Trump’s cabinet is that two of the positions are being filled by former Democratic presidential candidates who ran against him: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Looking around the room, it does appear that Trump has assembled an A-team with some of the best talent in the country.
God willing, some of America’s best days may be yet to come.
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