Intercessors' Guide

Trump and home affairs

Pray for people whose lives have been thrown into turmoil

Progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it’s whether we provide enough for those who have too little. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

The worst country to be poor in is America. For so many, having a great deal is never enough. (Arnold Toynbee)

Lord, You see the trouble and the distress, and You will do something. The poor can count on you, and so can orphans. Break the power of all merciless people: make them stop. (Adapted slightly from Ps. 10:14-15 CEV)

Immigrants

Distribute the land as an allotment for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be like native-born Israelites to you and will receive an allotment among the tribes. (Ex. 47:22)

The Bible is being trumpeted by the new administration, even as its teaching is being overthrown when it comes to regarding its treatment of those who have lawfully come to live in America. Trump has removed the protected status of nearly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants, who had risked everything to leave their inflation-ridden country and to settle in America. They now risk facing deportation.

You will have heard reports concerning the plan to house 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay, where conditions have been roundly condemned by human rights groups. Reuters reports on an equally ominous story in the Washington Post concerning the administration’s desire for access to a database of immigrant minors. (We are not talking here of those who have arrived illegally.) It notes that,

‘During U.S. President Donald Trump’s first administration, the Office of Refugee Resettlement began to share identifying information about unaccompanied migrant minors and their potential sponsors with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for use for arrest and deportation. The policy was later stopped by Congress.’

Will this be reactivated and put into effect?

As Trump orders ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to track down and deport migrants, many around the world are feeling moved by their plight. When urged to show mercy to vulnerable communities by the bishop at the prayer service at Washington Cathedral, Trump could not have been less interested in doing so, or more indignant at being called upon to do so. It is but one of many paradoxes that Trump is making the border issue his top priority at a time when crossings had already been at their lowest point for many years.

Many of the verses of Psalm 10 strike me as being only too relevant.

May I encourage you to take time to ponder this presentation, too, which contains 21 Bible Verses on the theme of welcoming strangers and immigrants.

Pray for those who are in danger of losing their citizenship and birthright

Many are saying that Trump’s actions in respect of the rights of those born on American soil do not square with the 14th amendment and are, therefore, unconstitutional. No doubt there will be a good many court cases, some of which might reach the Supreme Court. Since it is populated with a majority of Conservative judges whom he has appointed, he may be anticipating that he will have his way. We have yet to see how the courts and particularly the Supreme Court will rule in allowing Trump to work through executive orders, and to scale back the work force of many of departments and it will be the courts who finally decide if Trump has the authority to do that as opposed to working through the proper channels. Pray that the courts will act independently of the President’s influence, and in the best interests of social justice.

Pray for American prisoners and their families, with the threat of being sent to El Salvador hanging over them

I had long anticipated Donald Trump feeling drawn to the hardline populist politician and businessman Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador. It is certainly a much safer place than it was – but that has come at the cost of thousands of innocent people being arrested alongside the many hardened criminals. His offer to house American criminals in the country’s huge and unsavoury prisons would bring tremendous financial savings – but at what price? The conditions in which inmates are held can best be seen in this article from the BBC, rather than explained. Such a step would be unlawful under present rules: is that enough to dissuade Trump from condemning prisoners to a living hell? One more topic for prayer.

Pray for federal employees

Much fear and anger was created by threatening two million federal workers with a compulsory buyout (resign and be paid until September, or refuse and be liable to be summary firing after that. This has been suspended.

Pray concerning the spirit at work in the Republican party

In a scholarly article, CQ Net, a management training company, report on a number of research articles that demonstrate the way in which ‘bad leaders can destroy organizations and undermine their followers.’

There is nothing new in this conclusion: Paul was saying much the same thing two thousand years ago! (1 Cor. 15:33)

But it matters, and when we come to Donald Trump’s leadership of the Republican party, we should be wary, for there have long been conspicuous signs portending his lack of integrity. We have written often on the subject, and drawn attention to a number of concerning character qualities. Here is another: Trump has often failed to pay the wages of those who have worked for him, especially if he can find anything to fault in their work – and the fact has been known for decades. A USA Today Network analysis found back in 2016 that he had been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the preceding thirty years.

But what does the Lord say?

‘Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.’ (See James 5:1-6)

This matters, because this the man who heads up the governing party in America, and one has to ask what spirit is at work in the party behind the scenes that allows this to be the case?

And things may well get darker still. There is a huge amount happening behind the scenes of the American political stage, apparently out of sight of most of Trump’s fervent supporters, and some of them are very dark indeed. Heather Cox Richardson’s ongoing commentary continues to bring clarity and insight into what, how and where they are happening.

The article reminds me of what happens to Shift in Lewis’s The Last Battle. Shift thinks he is in charge, but actually, he isn’t. He is just a gullible means to an end, the plaything of other more wily characters – and they in turn become the victims of an even deeper evil. Is there an overlap here with Donald Trump? Is he destined to become a figurehead? He certainly isn’t right now He brooks no rivals, and loves to act unilaterally against those who start acting as ‘tall sequoias!’ (One can hardly say ‘tall poppies!’)

There is an abrasive quality about the MAGA driven Republican party. While many are sure to prosper in this brave new world, others are going to lose heavily, and many are going to come to grief. Adam Schiff warns of the extreme danger of appointing Kash Patel, a former federal prosecutor, and a conspiracy theorist, to run the FBI.

Tensions in the Republican party

Behind the scenes, it is important to be aware that the tensions in MAGA land are already close to boiling point, not least between Steve Bannon, recently released from prison, and Elon Musk.

Musk himself has been granted unprecedent freedom to operate almost as a fourth arm of government, while being accountable only to Trump. He has granted his small team of under 25-year-olds permission to access to a vast range of secure information in a move that would normally require Congressional approval. Senate intelligence members are sounding the alarm over the threat to national security. Meanwhile, Trump is able to distance himself from such actions.

Let’s keep praying for how thing develop between this assortment of forceful people. I believe we should be alert as to what the Lord might have us pray concerning the seemingly immensely powerful narcissistic duopoly of Trump and Musk. Operating at such close quarters (Musk is setting up his office adjacent to the White House), and judging by past form, there is every chance that Trump will tire of having someone who is operating at his level right alongside, and setting the sparks flying.

We have warned on various occasions that there are certain resemblances between Trump and his favourite American President, Andrew Jackson, who was another aggressive disrupter, who set out to drain the swamp but filled it instead with his own cronies. See for instance this article, which dates back to 2016, when people were just beginning to wake up to the comparisons.

But see too this interesting piece in The Conversation a few days ago.

As we have warned on various occasions there are certain resemblances between Trump and his favourite American President, Andrew Jackson, who was another aggressive disrupter who set out to drain the swamp but filled it instead with his own cronies. See this article, which dates back to 2016, when people were just beginning to wake up to the comparisons.

The truth is that the ‘new’ Republican party is by no means of uniform outlook. To name just a few of the strands, there are the billionaire / CEO class, blue collar workers galore, isolationist xenophobes, conspiracy theorists of all kinds, misogynists who speak of wanting to withdraw the right of women to vote – and over 50% of the party who would qualify as Christian Nationalists according to the Public Religion Research Institute. Even Trump’s very strong control is unlikely to be able to withstand some of the inevitable strains of such a grouping.

Pray for what happens on American soil

In all these things, I am hearing an echo of the terrible battle cries of America’s bloody Civil War. Truly, its wounds and the divisions it engendered have never been fully healed. The situation has been inflamed by one Democratic Congresswoman crying out that ‘we are at war with the Republican Party, and the Senate should be shut down’. Pray that America does not reach boiling point, but that fundamental injustices be recognised and repudiated.

Trump and Foreign affairs

Pray concerning the cessation of foreign aid

President Donald Trump may have thought that defunding the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would only hurt foreigners, but it turns out that closing the agency entirely ‘threatens billions of dollars the agency spends on American businesses and organizations.’

The closure is already being seen as adversely affecting American products and American jobs. MSN reports that

‘The bulk of U.S. assistance [which accounts for 47% of global humanitarian spending] is implemented through U.S. organizations, and through food grown on American farms.’

Everyone would agree that funding must be audited and well spent – but such a sudden closure is akin to a death sentence. A key point to note is that as USAID is an organisation set up by Congress, Congress alone ought to have the right to prevent salaries being paid to USAID workers. Will this Congress have the courage to act on this basic premise? Or the court case to that effect succeed? This is a matter worthy of prayer.

Marco Rubio has been appointed acting administrator of USAID, the world’s largest donor of foreign aid. In order to comply with Trump’s stated aim of America First, he has said that waivers will apply for all who are engaged in life saving work. But since waivers can only be approved by USAID – and the work force having been reduced from 10,000 to 300 it is not clear how this will happen.

Pray for the thousands of aid workers now packing to return home – and for the vast numbers of local people employed by their agencies.

“The agency’s collapse has had disastrous humanitarian consequences,” Thursday’s lawsuit said, including shutting down efforts to fight malaria and HIV. “Already, 300 babies that would not have had HIV, now do. Thousands of girls and women will die from pregnancy and childbirth.”

Trump’s foreign aid freeze and the shutdown of USAID have also crippled global efforts to relieve hunger, leaving about 500,000 metric tons of food worth $340 million in limbo.

See also ‘Thousands left with medical devices in their bodies after Trump shuts down USAID down.’

Pray for Marco Rubio, who will undoubtedly want to keep American aid flowing, but who will also have a complicate walk trying to adjust to Trump’s unpredictable gait. And pray for Congress, who originally established USAID and should have the right to determine what happens to it. Will they have courage to challenge the President?

Trump and his team have accused the USAID of fraud, but without bringing any proof. Undoubtedly there are causes that have been supported that were very much better not supported, but these represent only a very small percentage of the total budget. The chaos and confusion is immense, and those in charge appear to be deliberately making it hard, if not impossible, for the affected agencies to appeal for exemption.

Sky news covers this story well.

For Ukraine, the cut will affect ‘projects such as veteran rehabilitation, independent media and humanitarian assistance.’ All around the world, vital food and medical supplies are being shut down. Heather Cox Richardson quotes Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who called the move ‘dumb and murderous,’ and added that “Tons of kids are just going to die needlessly.” This article from Politico is equally blunt: the shutdown ‘will kill people.’

The cessation of USAID is affecting Christian agency partners too.

And who will step in to fill the gap? This article in the Guardian warns that it is China who will prosper from these measures. One hundred countries now have China as their major trading partner, and not America. It is perhaps not irrelevant that Trump’s billionaires make their profits in China . . .

Meanwhile, Trump is also withdrawing the US from UN agencies, including the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as well as from the WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement, and he has begun a review of US funding for the United Nations. NATO could be next. Sources say he came very close to leaving it back in his first term. And, incredibly, he has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court because it has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Pray concerning the ways in which Trump’s presidency is prospering Chinese aims

Trump has moved to remove Chinese influence along the Panama Canal – a wise move – but he is no rush to hold talks with the Chinese leader, despite his claims of a good relationship with him. Meanwhile, China and Russia are likely to do all they can to make the most of the opportunity to fill the vacuum left by the American withdrawal from the world stage, expanding their influence and domination over dozens of nations overseas, particularly in Africa. But they will not even begin to compensate for the specific aid aspects that USAID was providing, as they have no interest in doing so.

Pray for Trump’s expansionist – perhaps even colonial – aims

“You shall not move your neighbour’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.” (Deut. 23:10, Pr. 22:28)

Not long after Tony Blair came to power, Dad warned that, sooner or later, demagogues feel the need to prove themselves on the international stage, whether by waging war or by ‘economic nationalism.’ Thus far, Trump may ‘only’ be waging economic war but he seems eager to extend the boundaries of his rule far beyond those of the US itself. He is laying audacious claims toward acquiring Canada (which feels itself betrayed) as a 51st state of the US, as well as Greenland and Panama, and is now talking of the US owning Gaza too.

It is worth remembering that America has ‘form’ in this respect, having bought Louisiana from the French, and Alaska from Russia in years gone by.

Trump is using his power to force the hand of other national leaders, as, for instance, we saw in the swingeing tariffs that he slapped on Colombia the moment they refused to repatriate migrants from America. He is also warning Latin America not to get too close to China – but there is obviously more chance of this occurring both there and in Africa, the more American pulls back.

MSN reports on his plans to build a new empire.

There are some who say it is is wrong to mention Trump in the same breath as former world dictators because of his lack of offensive actions beyond his own borders. 

This article in The Nation looks at Trump 2.0 and warns against complacencu, suggesting that things may be very different this time round.

Pray for the countries that Trump is threatening with tariffs

President Trump is justifying the imposition of tariffs on certain nations because fentanyl has entered America through their borders. While there is no doubt at all that fentanyl has caused terrible damage to many American lives, there is no truth whatsoever in his claim that Canada is a major supplier. In reality, vastly more of the drug has come in via Mexico.

Panama

When President Bush ordered an invasion of Panama in 1989 to seize the corrupt General Manuel Noriega, Panama’s defence forces were at the same time dissolved – so Trump has nothing to fear by way of military confrontation should he choose to take things to the next level. A weak country makes a tempting target.

In his bid to insist on establish American dominance, he is also warning Latin America off getting too close to China, as we saw in the swingeing tariffs that he instantly slapped on Colombia the moment they took even a very small stand against repatriating migrants from America.

Panama is considered the most stable of the central American nations, but it has huge challenges of its own. Do watch and join in the prayers of this important Prayer Cast for Panama.

Greenland

Trump had a very aggressive phone call with the Prime Minister of Denmark over the future of Greenland, which has sent Danes and Greenlanders alike into near meltdown.

Trump already has freedom to use Greenland for military defence; it is its rich minerals that he covets. In this, he is acting in line with the bully he has been from his school days onwards. Let’s pray for a country that will have been on few people’s radar before these latest developments. This prayer cast for Greenland is beautiful; but it reminds us that people’s hearts have grown cold towards the Lord: send a revival fire, Lord God!

Canada

When Trump announced tariffs against Canada, and before they were suspended for a month, he suggested that it could cease to exist as a viable country, urging it instead to become the ‘cherished’ 51st state of America.

At a political level, it is obviously very important to pray for who will replace the outgoing Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. See this recent BBC article.

Canada’s greatest need, however, is not what we are currently watching on the news but rather its spiritual condition. Try searching for the phase ‘Pray for Canada’ on the web and see where the Lord leads you, and watch this passionate prayercast.

Mexico

It is considered that the Mexican president handled the threat from her big northern neighbour well, at the very least postponing tariffs from being introduced for a month. Not surprisingly, perhaps, as this would have significantly have increased the price of fruit and vegetables in America. Once again, let’s focus on the spiritual with this Prayercast for Mexico.

Pray concerning Trump’s involvement in the Middle East

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. (Martin Luther King, writing from Birmingham jail.)

What are we to make of Trump’s recent declaration that he wants the US to take possession of Gaza, even if that means sending in American troops? This sounds more like the investor in real estate that he began his career in, than a presidential move, a dream of new ‘Riviera’ not unlike his dream of the commercial redevelopment of North Korea.

This is surely ethnic cleansing by any other name, and a crime against humanity, and there is considerable discrepancy between Trump’s own suggestion that the move would be permanent, and other people’s efforts to call it temporary, Whichever it is planned to be, his words have caused great distress amongst the people of Gaza, who consider the land the only thing that they are left with, now that 90% of their homes have been destroyed. And whilst he recognises it as a ‘demolition site’ – which it surely is – he has no plans to pay for any reconstruction work.

The Israeli military is said to be preparing plans for forcibly removing the Palestinian people. But to where? The Israeli defence minister has said that,

‘Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory.’

The point has been firmly made that expelling the Palestinian people would be a crime against humanity, or ‘forced displacement,’ as the UN special reporter on human rights calls it. It is not an entirely new initiative of course. Biden attempted to ‘bribe’ Egypt to take large quantities of people from Gaza towards the end of 2023.

The surrounding nations are vigorously opposed to the idea, including Saudi Arabia, who Trump would like to see enter into a closer alliance with Israel. It is hard to see what the proposal is intended to achieve, despite the favour it received from the more hawkish members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, for whom it might seem an oblique reference to the fact that many Israelis want to return to the land they were obliged to leave in 2005.

Gaza is not the only ‘demolition site’ in the region. Many parts of the West Bank are being destroyed as it was, even though Hamas does not control the West Bank. Trump has suggested that he will soon be making a major statement about the area: what might that mean for its people?

Whilst many Christians would join with others in considering this entirely unjustified exploitative expansionism, many others – particularly in America – see it rather as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. When Trump aligns himself with the extreme far right elements and intentions of Netanyahu’s government, is he fulfilling some plan and purpose of the Lord’s – or is he meddling where he should not go? He would appear to be jettisoning any chance of closer ties with other nations in the region in favour of supporting Israel’s far-right.

Wherever we stand on that matter, it is so important to remember that we are dealing with real people who matter greatly to God, on both sides of the divide.

For more on Trump’s talks with Netanyahu, see this article.

Pray for Trump’s dealing with Russia over its war with Ukraine

Trump declared that ending the war in Ukraine was a top policy aim. But in the light of his previous endorsements of Vladimir Putin, his previously stated disavowal of Ukraine, and his insistence that the war there is a waste of blood and money, the continuation of American support for Ukraine cannot be taken for granted – yet it is crucial not only for Kyiv itself, but also to the West as a whole.

Although Trump has not yet revealed his full hand, this article in the Kyiv Independent, which I now subscribe to, is worth reading. It concludes with this telling comment:

‘European leaders remain in denial, ignoring the risks of a Trump presidency and failing to connect the dots between Ukraine’s security and their own. Ensuring Ukraine’s stability isn’t just about protecting one country – it’s about safeguarding the future of Europe as a whole.’

Writing in The Conversation, Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, comments that,

‘So far, Trump’s moves are not a gamechanger. But this is the first serious attempt in nearly three years of war to forge a path towards an end of the fighting. It remains to be seen whether Trump, and everyone else, has the imagination and stamina to ensure that this path will ultimately lead to a just and secure peace for Ukraine.’

Pray for the relationship between the US and the UK

With virtually every member of the Labour Cabinet having spoken strongly against Trump in the past, things did not get off to a good start when it comes to the relationship between 10 Downing Street and the White House. In fact, Trump roundly objected to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the British Ambassador. Things have recovered somewhat, but nothing can be taken for granted where Mr. Trump is concerned.

Sir Keir Starmer has a delicate path to tread. He wants to believe that he does not have to choose between closer ties with the EU and with America, but he is a known Europhile, which Trump most certainly is not. He will certainly not be impressed that Starmer has resolved not to increase defence spending. (This even though we have no missile shield defence. It feels unbearably short sighted: if GCHQ or our oil refineries were hit, we would be instantly crippled.)

That said, it is possible that the UK may escape more lightly than the rest of the EU from when it comes to the threat of tariffs, because we, unlike the EU, do not operate a trade surplus with America.

May the Lord watch over our backslidden nation and bring us back to Himself, though we do not deserve it.

You may like to pray for our own nation with the words of the daily prayer that has been offered to Heaven in the Chambers of the British Parliament since 1567: