White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hasn’t taken kindly to comments made by her predecessor and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki about Wednesday’s (August 27) mass shooting in Minneapolis.
The Briefing with Jen Psaki host took to X on Wednesday, where she spoke out about the government’s inaction when it came to gun control, saying the usual refrain of “thoughts and prayers” isn’t enough.
“Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. [P]rayers do 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.
Psaki’s comments came after a mass shooter opened fire during a school’s morning Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic church on Wednesday, killing two children and injuring 17 others.
Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 27, 2025
According to police, the attacker, who died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, approached the side of the church and fired dozens of shots through the windows using three firearms, including a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. A smoke bomb was also discovered at the scene.
When asked about Psaki’s remarks during a press conference on Thursday (August 28), Leavitt called them “incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of Americans of faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer, who believe that prayer works.”
She continued, “It’s utterly disrespectful to deride the power of prayer in this country, and it’s disrespectful to the millions of Americans of faith and I would encourage Ms. Psaki to pray for these families themselves, who need it right now more than ever.”
White House Communications Secretary Steven Cheung appeared even more upset by Psaki’s comments, replying to her post, “You are a disgusting human being. I hope you circle back with an apology.”
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough made a similar argument to Psaki on Thursday’s edition of Morning Joe, saying, “The kids were hoping and praying. So hope, pray and act. But Republicans won’t do that third part in Congress. They just won’t do the third part in Congress.”
Psaki served as a political advisor under both the Obama and Biden administrations and as the 34th White House press secretary until May 2022.