At a January 18, 2026 church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, dozens of protesters interrupted the service to protest ICE, the recent killing of Renee Good, and the church pastor David Easterwood.
According to media reports, pastor Easterwood is the same David Easterwood who is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities.
Ultimately, seven people were arrested, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon and charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) law, and the Conspiracy Against Rights law.
Source:
Rose, Andy; Hammond, Elise. (January 20, 2026). "Trump officials investigate protesters who interrupted Minnesota church service, targeting ICE official". CNN. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
Funk, Josh; Smith, Peter. (January 30, 2026). "What to know about the civil rights charges Don Lemon faces for covering church protest in Minnesota". ABC News/Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
On January 20, 2026, in response to the protest U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted the following on X (bold added for emphasis):
One of the main reasons I left the Democrat Party was because of their hostility towards God and those who have faith in or are trying to cultivate their love for God. Those so-called 'protestors' who tried to intimidate and terrorize innocent women, children, and men in the Minneapolis church is just another example of their hostility towards God and His worshippers. Such behavior is demoniac and should be condemned by everyone, and those who took part in such intimidation tactics should be held accountable.
Looking back on some of what Gabbard has said in the past, on October 11, 2022, in a video message Tulsi Gabbard posted the following on X (bold added for emphasis):
I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that's under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers who are driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoking anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms that are enshrined in our Contitution, who are hostile to people of faith and spirituality, who demonize the police but protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, who believe in open borders, who weaponize the national security state to go after their political opponents, and above all are dragging us ever closer to nuclear war. Now, I believe in a government that's of the people, by the people, and for the people. Unfortunately, today's Democratic Party does not. Instead it stands for a government that is of, by, and for the powerful elite. Now, I'm calling on my fellow common sense, independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party. If you can no longer stomach the direction that the so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country, I invite you to join me.
On August 29, 2025, Tulsi Gabbard posted the following on X (bold added for emphasis):
God is love. The very essence of God is love. Therefore, during times of hardship, sadness, pain and suffering, we naturally and spontaneously take refuge in Him — in love itself — because we know in the core of our hearts that it is only the power and light of God's love that can drive away the darkness of evil and hatred, which was manifested so tragically and violently upon the children praying in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
So why is it that people like Jen Psaki and others have such a spontaneous visceral negative reaction to those who are praying to God for refuge, strength, and for the wellbeing of the victims of this heinous attack? Because they do not believe in God or His love. Their response is rooted in their hatred of God. They want to be God, so they view Him as their competitor. They are agents of darkness and hatred, and the light of God's love is a threat to their dark ambitions.
One manifestation of their darkness and desire to be God is their belief that any man can become a woman, and any woman can become a man. This is the insanity and darkness that has unfortunately perpetuated today's Democrat Party, and is one of the reasons why I could no longer associate myself with them.
It is especially during times like this, when the darkness of hate descends upon us, that we take shelter in and manifest the light of God, which is love.
Rev Martin Luther King spoke the truth beautifully when he said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
Commentary:
Recent events in Minneapolis, especially the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, have created a hostile environment toward ICE. For that reason, it's understandable that protesters would want to target Pastor Easterwood, however, choosing to protest during a church service was not the best place for that to occur. Protesting outside of his house would have been a better option.
But this post is not about the protest itself. This post is about Gabbard's response.
By claiming that the protesters were showing "hostility towards God and His worshippers," Gabbard completely mischaracterizes why the protesters were at the church.
Protesters were at the church to protest ICE and pastor Easterwood, period, full stop.
Protesters were not at the church to put down, or show hostility towards people who believe in God.
In fact, I would bet that many of the protesters at the church actually believe in God.
If you say, "Well if that's true then why weren't those protesters at church on a Sunday morning?" I say that not all people who believe in God choose to go to church on Sunday, some choose not to go to church at all, and that doesn't make them less Christian or less religious, or less anything. If you disagree with that, then all I can say is that you are one of those overly righteous Christians who believe you are somehow better than everyone else.
Regarding Gabbard's October 11, 2022 post, she said a lot of things worthy of response, but for purposes of this post suffice it to say that here again she claims that the Democratic Party is "hostile to people of faith and spirituality."
In Gabbard's August 29, 2025 post where she rails against Jen Psaki's response to a Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis, she not only doubles down, but she sticks her neck out even farther claiming:
Because they do not believe in God or His love. Their response is rooted in their hatred of God. They want to be God, so they view Him as their competitor. They are agents of darkness and hatred, and the light of God's love is a threat to their dark ambitions.
On August 27, 2025, here's what Jen Psaki posted on X:
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.
Gabbard completely and totally mischaracterizes what Psaki said.
Gabbard asks the question, "So why is it that people like Jen Psaki and others have such a spontaneous visceral negative reaction to those who are praying to God for refuge, strength, and for the wellbeing of the victims of this heinous attack?"
The answer is, because Psaki, like the vast majority of Americans are sick and tired of hearing the same old conservative response to school shootings (like, "It's a mental health issue," or in this case "Let's just pray"). That explains why Psaki's response was "spontaneous" and "visceral."
Psaki said that prayer is not enough, and she's absolutely correct. How many times have conservatives, who are resistant to significant gun reform legislation and who are owned by the NRA, simply condemned a mass shooting, and then offered up nothing but prayers for the victims? How many times?
If you read between the lines, Psaki is saying that we must do something more tangible and concrete, beyond just prayer, to address gun violence. That's all she's saying. If you try to read anything else into what she said, you're just looking to pick a fight and create further division.
By saying that Democrats don't believe in God, that they hate God, that they are "agents of darkness and hatred," and so on, is part of the reason our country is so divided. Gabbard's radical, hyper-Christian statements have only helped to increase the hate and the "US vs. THEM" mentality.
Gabbard (like Trump does all the time) is condemning and vilifying Democrats on a grand scale. What's worse is that what she is saying is an abject lie. IT'S AN ABJECT LIE!
In a June 25, 2025 HWR post entitled "U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Says the 'Dishonest Media is 'Intentionally Taking my Testimony Out of Context'" I explain how Gabbard, instead of just admitting she might have misspoken, chose to double-down and chastise the "dishonest media." This is another example of Gabbard sewing the seeds of division.
Condemning, vilifying, grossly exaggerating, mischaracterizing, gaslighting, and lying aren't highlights of Trump, his sycophants, and the MAGA movement - they are features.
Tusli Gabbard is a radical, right-wing Christian zealot. She's one of Trump's sickest sycophants.
Zooming out, Gabbard's posts and the corresponding conservative responses shine a light on the key element of the MAGA movement - the religious aspect.
So much of the MAGA movement is about conservatives who believe they are taking the "moral and spiritual high ground." Many feel they are on an existential quest to save America from "evil" liberals, confirmed by what Trump and so many of his supporters have said in the past, as well as by the children's books written by Kash Patel.
Many Trump supporters believe that God is the reason why Trump is now president, and that God is the reason he survived an assasination attempt, which only further solidifies their belief that they are right and liberals are wrong.
Of course that's total B.S., but that's what so many of them believe.
When you boil it down, religion is, and has always been the major, underpinning element of the MAGA movement. When you get a large group of people who believe they have God on their side, you better look out because it will be nearly impossible to not only change their minds, but to even make them see a tiny little glimpse of objective reality, because their reality is based so much on their beliefs.