Harper West
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event in Washington, D.C., where U.S. leaders gather to pray for the nation and its leaders. Since 1953, every sitting U.S. president has attended the breakfast at least once during their term, except for President Barack Obama, who was asked to boycott the event in 2010 by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | Usually the first Thursday of February |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Attendees | Christian figures, clergy, elected officials, entrepreneurs, members of Congress, diplomats, religious leaders, missionary workers, and more |
| Organizer | The Fellowship (until 2023); National Prayer Breakfast Foundation (since 2023) |
| Number of Speakers | Two |
| Number of Attendees | 3,500 (in recent years); 4,000 in 2025 |
| Attendance by President | Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has attended |
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What You'll Learn
- Presidents have attended the National Prayer Breakfast annually since 1953
- The Fellowship, a secretive evangelical group, previously ran the event
- The National Prayer Breakfast has been criticised for being exclusive and elitist
- The event has drawn guests including Mother Teresa, Bono, and Tony Blair
- Presidents use the breakfast to discuss their personal religious beliefs
Presidents have attended the National Prayer Breakfast annually since 1953
The National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in Washington, D.C., has been attended by U.S. presidents since 1953. It is a gathering of Christian figures, clergy, elected officials, and entrepreneurs. The event is usually held on the first Thursday of February and has become a staple for American presidents, who attend and offer a few words.
The first president to attend the National Prayer Breakfast was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was in office from 1953 to 1961. Since then, all U.S. presidents have followed suit, regardless of their religious views. The event offers presidents the opportunity to enhance their image with Christian foundations or influential Christian leaders and to address a sometimes more conservative opinion. It also provides a rare opportunity for presidents to pray, ask for prayers, and talk about the role of prayer in their lives.
The National Prayer Breakfast was originally known as the Presidential Prayer Breakfast and was inaugurated in 1953 when President Eisenhower was invited to join an already-existing prayer circle. The name was changed in 1970 to the National Prayer Breakfast. The event has grown from 400 attendees to nearly 4,000, attracting international participants and serving as a platform for presidents to express their faith and political agendas.
The National Prayer Breakfast has faced some controversy over the years, with concerns raised about the influence of the organizing group, The Fellowship, which was highly secretive regarding its members, actions, and funding. In 2023, The Fellowship was replaced by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, and the event was held inside the U.S. Capitol for the first time. The new group aims to make the event smaller and more controlled, with around 300 attendees instead of the previous 3,500.
Despite the controversies and calls for boycott, the National Prayer Breakfast continues to be an important event for U.S. presidents to attend and participate in. It has become a tradition for presidents to use the event as a platform to discuss their religious beliefs and the role of faith in public life.
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The Fellowship, a secretive evangelical group, previously ran the event
The Fellowship, also known as the Fellowship Foundation or "The Family", is a Christian evangelical group that previously organized the National Prayer Breakfast. The group is known for its secretive nature, with members sharing a vow of secrecy and shunning publicity.
The Fellowship has long been associated with the National Prayer Breakfast, with its late leader, Douglas Coe, described as the "longtime National Prayer Breakfast organizer". The group's influence over the event has sparked controversies, with concerns raised over influence peddling, shadowy fundraising, and a lack of transparency regarding attendees, donors, and agenda.
In 2023, lawmakers took control of the event from The Fellowship, citing the aforementioned concerns. A new nonprofit group, the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, was formed to organize the event, with the aim of making it smaller and more controlled.
Despite this change, questions remain about the extent of the break from the past, as several board members of the new foundation have ties to the Fellowship Foundation. The Fellowship continues to hold its own events and maintain its influence in Washington, D.C.
The Fellowship has been described as one of the most politically well-connected and secretly funded ministries in the United States, with prominent political figures as members and participants. The group has had the ear of presidents and high-ranking politicians, and its influence extends beyond the National Prayer Breakfast.
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The National Prayer Breakfast has been criticised for being exclusive and elitist
The National Prayer Breakfast has been a staple for American presidents since 1953, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower first attended. Every president since has spoken at the event, and it has become an annual opportunity for the president to address the nation and express their faith and political agendas.
However, the event has faced criticism for being exclusive and elitist. It has been organised by "The Family", an evangelical Christian group, for decades. The group's highly secretive nature regarding its members, actions, and funding has sparked controversies and calls for a boycott. In 2023, "The Family" was replaced by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, a non-profit group, in an attempt to make the event smaller and more controlled.
The exclusive nature of the event has been a point of contention, with attendance being by invitation only. The guest list has included Christian figures, clergy, elected officials, entrepreneurs, and diplomats, religious leaders, missionary workers, among others. The event has also been criticised for becoming a public religious ritual at the centre of the US government. Since the Obama era, non-Christian and secular groups have called on presidents to boycott the breakfast due to its connections to anti-LGBTQ and right-wing groups.
The National Prayer Breakfast has also been a source of controversy due to shadowy fundraising, behind-the-scenes lobbying, and even infiltration by a Russian spy. Despite the criticisms and controversies, the event continues to be a significant gathering for political, military, and business leaders to discuss faith and governance.
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The event has drawn guests including Mother Teresa, Bono, and Tony Blair
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event in Washington, D.C., where U.S. leaders gather to pray for the nation and its leaders. It is usually held on the first Thursday of February in the International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton, a luxury hotel. The event has drawn thousands of attendees, including diplomats, religious leaders, missionary workers, politicians, and entrepreneurs.
The event was initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953 when he was invited to join an already-existing prayer group. Since then, all U.S. presidents have attended the National Prayer Breakfast at least once during their term, and it has become a staple for American presidents to attend and offer a few words. The event provides an opportunity for presidents to enhance their image with Christian foundations or influential Christian leaders and to address a sometimes more conservative opinion.
The National Prayer Breakfast has featured two speeches, one by the President of the United States and the other by a different personality each year. Among the notable guest speakers over the years have been Mother Teresa, the singer and U2 frontman Bono, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mother Teresa, a notable philanthropist, spoke about the importance of listening in prayer. Bono discussed the importance of different faith traditions standing together, while President George W. Bush was in attendance.
The event has also featured musical performances by artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Wintley Phipps, and Michael W. Smith. In addition, there have been appearances by international figures such as Queen Rania of Jordan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the Dalai Lama, who addressed the International Lunch in 2015.
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Presidents use the breakfast to discuss their personal religious beliefs
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event in Washington, D.C., where U.S. leaders gather to pray for the nation and its leaders. The event is held on the first Thursday of February and has been attended by every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower, who initiated it in 1953.
The breakfast provides a platform for presidents to discuss their personal religious beliefs and the role of faith in their lives. It also offers an opportunity for them to enhance their image with Christian foundations and leaders. While most presidents have used the address to speak about their faith, some have also used it to push their political agendas. For example, in 2020, Donald Trump waved "Trump Acquitted" newspaper headlines and attacked the religious commitments of his political opponents.
The National Prayer Breakfast has faced criticism for being exclusive and elitist, as well as for its connections to anti-LGBTQ and right-wing groups. Despite this, it continues to be a significant event, attracting thousands of attendees, including international participants.
The event is organized by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, which is headed by former Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas. The foundation took over from The Fellowship in 2023, a highly secretive group that sparked controversies and calls for boycotts in the past.
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Frequently asked questions
No. Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has attended and spoken at the event.
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event in Washington, D.C., where US leaders gather to pray for the nation and its leaders. It is an opportunity for presidents to enhance their image with Christian foundations or influential Christian leaders. It also offers a rare opportunity for presidents to pray and ask for prayers and talk about the role of prayer in their lives.
The National Prayer Breakfast was initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It evolved from prayer groups with business and civic leaders in Seattle, organized by Abraham Vereide in the 1930s. When he moved to Washington, D.C., he established similar groups with members of Congress. The event has grown from 400 attendees to nearly 4,000, attracting international participants.
