‘Enough with prayers’: Former Biden official slams prayer following Minnesota school shooting

Psaki posted “thoughts and prayers” in 2017 after Congressman Steve Scalise was wounded in a shooting.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Former Biden spokeswoman and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki sharply criticized both President Donald Trump’s anti-crime policies in Washington, D.C., and the alleged reliance on prayer following a deadly shooting at a Catholic school in Minnesota on Wednesday.

“Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayer does not end school shootings. Prayer does not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers,” Psaki wrote on social media after the incident.

In a follow-up post, she added, “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 D.C., maybe rethink your strategy.”

Her remarks referred to Trump’s recent decision to deploy National Guard troops and take direct oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department as part of his crackdown on rising crime in the capital. The initiative has already produced more than 1,000 arrests and, according to officials, 12 straight days without a homicide.

The Minnesota tragedy unfolded during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Authorities confirmed that at least two children were killed and more than a dozen wounded before the gunman died at the scene. Law enforcement identified the shooter as Robert (later known legally as Robin) Westman, who had changed his name and gender designation in 2019.

Psaki’s comments drew immediate pushback from conservatives, who argued that prayer remains central to healing after violence. Karen Hamilton, a Virginia House of Delegates candidate, responded, “I don’t expect a spiritually blind person to understand prayer, but it is real. When parents are in the depths of grief, Jesus is their greatest comforter.”

Others highlighted Psaki’s own past use of “thoughts and prayers,” including a 2017 post after Congressman Steve Scalise was wounded in a shooting. Commentators such as journalist Megan Basham linked the incident to broader cultural debates, accusing Democrats of enabling instability while dismissing prayer.

The debate over Psaki’s comments underscored the wider national divide between calls for policy change and the traditional prayer services after tragedies.