Vice President JD Vance berated MSNBC host Jen Psaki for her “bizarre” declaration that “prayer is not freaking enough” in the wake of yet another mass shooting in the United States.
Psaki, who served as press secretary in the Biden White House, made her comments after a horrific Wednesday morning attack at a Catholic school in Minneapolis left two children dead and 17 others injured.
“Prayer is not freaking enough,” the mother of two wrote in a post on X.
“Prayers does not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”
Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 27, 2025
Later that day, Psaki took aim directly at President Donald Trump and his administration, mocking his deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., who have recently been spotted picking up trash.
“When kids are getting shot in their pews at a catholic school mass and your crime plan is to have national guard put mulch down around DC maybe rethink your strategy,” she wrote.
When kids are getting shot in their pews at a catholic school mass and your crime plan is to have national guard put mulch down around DC maybe rethink your strategy
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 27, 2025
Vance, a Catholic convert who was baptized in 2019, fired back Thursday morning, defending the power of prayer.
“We pray because our hearts are broken. We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action,” he wrote.
“Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”
Of all the weird left wing culture wars in the last few years, this is by far the most bizarre. “How dare you pray for innocent people in the midst of tragedy?!”What are you even talking about?
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 28, 2025
The vice president then followed up with another scathing reply: “Of all the weird left wing culture wars in the last few years, this is by far the most bizarre. ‘How dare you pray for innocent people in the midst of tragedy?!’”
“What are you even talking about?”
For years, Democratic politicians in particular have pushed back on what they see as empty “thoughts and prayers” from right-wing leaders in lieu of meaningful gun reform.
Trump himself wrote on Truth Social Wednesday, “Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also appeared to reject the standard response during an emotional speech later that day.
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now—these kids were literally praying,” the Democratic mayor said. “It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Psaki and Vance for comment.
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