President Donald Trump stood onstage in full view of the cameras, eyes unfocused and posture slack. Seemingly unable to stay present long enough to register what was unfolding — a detail viewers seized on almost immediately once the shot came into focus. The moment came during remarks by Rep. J onathan Jackson, the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who used his address at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast to deliver a pointed sermon on kindness, compassion, and the moral responsibility of presidential power. A lecture many viewers read as a direct rebuke of Trump, delivered with him standing in full view. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on February 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is joined by bipartisan Congressional members, business, and religious leaders to pray for the nation. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) It happened Thursday, Feb. 5, at the bipartisan annual event in Washington when an awkward Trump stood behind Jackson on the stage as the Illinois congressman implored God to “lead this president into greater levels of compassion.” “We pray that you would protect him from the iniquities of evil, and that you would give him greater clarity, greater courage and greater capacity to do what is right,” Jackson boldly proclaimed, before reminding Trump that “the lives of millions of people are in his hands.” ‘They’re Not About to Outsmart Him!’: Trump Ally Pulls Another Bully Move on the Clintons — Until Bill Steps In, Flips the Script, and Ends It on the Spot Trump, standing behind Jackson trying to look pious, bobbled a bit on stage with his eyes closing at times, seemingly unaware of what Jackson was saying directly to him. The Illinois 1st District representative admonished Trump to be a better version of himself, saying “we pray that the best of this president would rise among us for the sake of this nation, for the sake of this world.” He said he hoped Trump would somehow develop a sense of “goodness and mercy” and to “be mindful of the poor.” But Jackson wasn’t through. He prayed that Trump would become “invested in the elevation” and “the alleviation of suffering happening on farms in the Midwest, in the families preparing to bury their loved ones in Minneapolis” and asked God to “remind him that we are all Americans … and that none of us are free unless all of us have our freedoms protected.” View on Threads Jackson’s prayers aimed at a sleepy Trump fell on deaf ears, at least in the moment, as the President has continued to flout the U.S. Constitution at every turn with a complicit Supreme Court paving the way. Social media didn’t hold back, and if Trump didn’t understand what a Black congressman was subtly saying to him in real time, he sure understood it later. “Masterclass on throwing shade right in front of your face..not understanding you getting dissed to your face, Priceless,” a Threads user pointed out. “Wow, Trump would have been really pissed off by that shot across the bow if he’d been awake,” wrote another. Another wondered, “Is he sleeping standing up because he’s not responding to the dig that Congressman Jonathan Jackson is making about him.” Another user expects Trump to throw a tantrum: “Once someone explains to him what Johnathan Jackson was saying, he’s gonna be rage-posting and throwing ketchup bottles at the wall.” View on Threads Not everyone was convinced Trump was being clueless. “Observe his body language, and the moments he opens his eyes. The way he’s standing. He feels shame and guilt. He knows what he’s doing is wrong. He can’t even stand straight and tall. He’s humbled. He’s embarrassed. The light is shining directly on him and he’s cowering under the light of truth.” Jackson’s shockingly direct comments to a tone-deaf president follow Trump’s war on poor Americans and third world countries during his first year in office, including the administration’s multi-trillion-dollar reduction in funding for social safety net programs, his legislation that will leave millions of Americans without insurance, and his deadly and brutal immigration crackdown in mostly Democratic-run cities around the country. The National Prayer Breakfast is a big deal when members of both parties gather to break bread and talk, something that doesn’t always happen in the halls of Congress. Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has attended the event, and Trump, who delivered an hour and 15-minute speech, has spoken at the breakfast six times, according to Mother Jones. ‘Is He Sleeping Standing Up?’: Trump Has No Idea He’s Being Publicly Dissed — Then the Camera Catches a Background Detail Everyone Missed and It’s Impossible to Unsee ...read more read less