Pastor Greg Laurie defended himself against critics of his who “get upset” when he posts about visiting the White House. Laurie said it is important to pray for our country’s leaders and not to be caught up in “partisan ideas.”
“Whenever I post about the White House or Washington, people love to criticize, but look, this is our capital and the White House is our house. I would go to the White House if any president invited me, regardless if I voted for them or not,” Laurie said in a video posted to his social media accounts on Sunday, May 4. “And if they ask for prayer, I would pray for any president.”
“We are commanded in Scripture to pray for those that are in leadership over us,” he said. “And I think that sometimes we get so caught up in our partisan ideas that we forget the big picture. We’re talking about prayer, the most important thing we can do for America.”
Every time I visit the White House—which is always an incredible privilege—some people seem to get upset.
Honestly, that’s ridiculous.The White House is not just the residence of the president. It’s our house. It belongs to the people.
And I would gladly visit it—no matter who… pic.twitter.com/qCXueQl6Do
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) May 4, 2025
Pastor Greg Laurie Defends Visit to White House
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship and the founder of Harvest Crusades, which began in 1990 and which millions of people have attended either in person or online. The purpose of Harvest Crusades, according to Harvest’s website, is to “create a welcoming environment to share the life-changing message of the gospel.”
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On Monday, May 5, Laurie announced on X that the next Harvest Crusade will take place at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on July 19.
In October 2024, Laurie appeared at a rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump where the pastor encouraged attendees to “vote biblically.” Laurie later defended his decision to appear at the rally, saying, “When I go into settings like this, I go as a representative of God’s kingdom. My primary objective is to point people to Christ.” In February, Laurie praised Trump’s creation of the White House Faith Office as a “long-overdue initiative.”
In his May 4 video, Laurie told his followers that he attended an event at the White House Rose Garden for the National Day of Prayer, which Christians around the country observed on Thursday, May 1.
“It was a fantastic time. There was beautiful worship and prayer for our nation,” said Laurie, “and I appreciate the fact that the White House has been open to people of faith and [that] I and other faith leaders were invited to come and participate in this.”
“And then we had a surprise invitation to go into the Oval Office after we were there in the Rose Garden,” Laurie said, “and we spoke with the president for a few moments, and he gave us all a commemorative coin, and it’s just fantastic.”
