By CP StaffThursday, April 02, 2026

Televangelist Paula White-Cain, flanked by President Donald Trump and FBC Dallas senior pastor Robert Jeffress, delivers remarks during a private Easter lunch at the White House on April 1, 2026. | Screenshot/YouTube/Forbes Breaking News

Televangelist Paula White-Cain stoked a firestorm of backlash for likening President Donald Trump to Jesus Christ during a private Easter lunch at the White House with other Christian leaders on Wednesday.

In remarks that repeatedly implied she had received special revelation from the Holy Spirit, White-Cain claimed God told her to tell Trump how thankful she is for him, according to footage of the ceremony that was uploaded by the White House to YouTube before being taken down.

“I felt like I was conveying the heart of God for all of us, that we are thankful for the greatest champion of faith that we’ve ever seen in a president. And we honor you because of your bold, unwavering conviction and stand for religious liberty, here in America and around the world,” she said.

After claiming Trump made it possible to worship God in the United States again, White-Cain said “the strength of a nation is through Almighty God” before attributing Trump’s victories both to God and to him.

“But the truth of it is, you are here because of God and because of you,” she told Trump, who quietly thanked her as Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, patted his arm and said, “Amen, that is so true.”

White-Cain, who serves in the White House Faith Office and has been a longtime spiritual advisor to Trump, went on to compare his political trajectory to Christ’s suffering and resurrection, blending the message of the Gospel with Trump’s temporal success.

“Jesus taught so many lessons through His death, burial and resurrection. He showed us great leadership, great transformation requires great sacrifice. And Mr. President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. It almost cost you your life,” she said.

“You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. But it didn’t end there for Him, and it didn’t end there for you,” she continued.

“God always had a plan. On the third day, He rose, He defeated evil, He conquered death, Hell and the grave. And because He rose, we all know that we can rise. And, sir, because of His resurrection, you rose up. Because He was victorious, you were victorious.”

White-Cain, a multi-millionaire who has faced allegations of being a “false teacher,” drew applause from the room as she concluded by claiming she believes the Lord told her to inform the president that “because of His victory, you will be victorious in all you put your hand to.”

White-Cain’s comments prompted intensely negative responses from many on social media, including Christians, some of whom saw it as a sacrilegious attempt to elevate Trump as a messianic figure while politicizing Easter. Some also criticized the other Christian leaders who continued to participate in the ceremony.

Rich Raho, a Roman Catholic theologian, condemned White-Cain’s remarks as “blasphemous” and questioned why Bishop Robert Barron, a Roman Catholic from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and member of the White House Religious Liberty Commission, would stand by silently.

“It’s stunning to see a US Bishop standing right there on the stage while Paula White compares Trump to Jesus Christ,” Raho said.

Christian cultural commentator Jon Root said, “Heretic & leader of the White House Faith Office, Paula White, compared President Trump’s political persecution to the persecution of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ at the Easter Luncheon. Insanity.”

“Trump’s chief spiritual advisor Paula White teaches today that Trump was falsely accused and resurrected…like Jesus Christ,” said Taylor Marshall, a popular Roman Catholic author and podcaster, who also described the remarks as “insanity.”

“Wow, that Paula White clip has burned through the Christian community in a not-good way. It’s no wonder the White House took down the video from YouTube,” said Christian broadcaster Erick Erickson.

White-Cain, who has had ties with Trump since 2002, has raised eyebrows in the past for comments appearing to conflate obedience to God with support for Trump.