WATCH: Faith Leaders Pray over Donald Trump in Iowa

A group of Iowa faith leaders prayed over former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Cedar Rapids before he delivered remarks to supporters and slammed President Joe Biden as “the destroyer of democracy.”

Video shared to X, formerly Twitter, by Republican strategist James Blair shows a dozen or so Iowa faith leaders with their hands spread toward Trump while one of them led the group in prayer. 

“The gates of hell will not prevail against him. We speak this over him. Lord, I pray for protection over him; I pray for protection over his family,” the faith leader said. 

He also prayed, “All the weapons formed against him will not prosper, and lord, they will come to nothing, and the traps that have been laid against him.”

The moment came after more than 150 faith leaders in Iowa endorsed Trump for president on November 23.

“The overwhelming support from Iowa’s faith leaders is a clear indication of President Trump’s unwavering commitment to the principles and values that are important to people of faith,” said Pastor Dan McCoy, Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church in Urbandale in an email press release from the Trump campaign. 

“This announcement is not just a number; it’s a powerful message that faith communities trust President Trump to lead our nation forward with integrity and moral clarity,” McCoy added. 

Trump took the stage in Iowa around 4:30 p.m. ET, where he likened President Joe Biden to a “third-world communist tyrant” and said his “banana republic ends on November 5th, 2024.” 

“Biden and his radical left allies like to pose as defenders of Democracy — you see, he was standing up there not so long ago with the pink and red background – that looked a little bit sinister,” Trump said, seemingly referring to Biden’s infamous speech in September 2021 in which he said, “MAGA Republicans do not respect the constitution.” 

“But Joe Biden is not the defender of American Democracy. Joe Biden is the destroyer of American Democracy, and it’s him and his people; they’re the wreckers of the American Dream,” the 45th president said.