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Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., disputed the effectiveness of prayers after the Minnesota Catholic school shooting on Thursday, saying students were “literally praying” when they came under attack.
In a post on X, Newsom slammed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt after she called MSNBC host Jen Psaki “incredibly insensitive and disrespectful” for her heated posts about prayers in the aftermath of mass shootings.
“These children were literally praying as they got shot at,” Newsom wrote.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., questioned the effectiveness of thoughts and prayers in the wake of the Minnesota Catholic school shooting this week. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Hours after the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that left two children dead, Psaki criticized those offering only thoughts and prayers in response to the tragedy.
“Prayer is not freaking enough,” she wrote on X, adding it doesn’t end school shootings or make parents feel safe sending their children to school.
During her MSNBC show Wednesday night, Psaki repeated the point.
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Eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel was one of two students killed in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (The Merkel Family)
“Half the politicians in our country have little more to offer than thoughts and prayers,” Psaki said in an emotional monologue. “That is all they are offering. ‘Join all of us in praying for the victims’ was Vice President JD Vance’s response today. That’s what he said. That’s it. ‘Please join me in praying for everyone involved,’ [President Donald] Trump wrote. We have seen this play out over and over again. There is a shooting. Then come the thoughts and prayers, and then comes the attempt to shift the focus. This is what always happens.”
Democrats have frequently criticized Republicans for not discussing violence prevention or gun control measures after mass shootings.
Leavitt responded to Psaki’s remarks during Thursday’s White House press briefing.
“I saw the comments of my predecessor, Ms. Psaki, and frankly, I think they are 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 and who believe that in a time of mourning like this—when beautiful young children were killed while praying in a church,” she said.
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Susan Saly, right, and Meagan Pierlouissi place flowers at a memorial at Annunciation Catholic Church after Wednesday’s school shooting, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
She continued, “It is utterly disrespectful to deride the power of prayer in this country, and it is 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.”
In another X post on Thursday, Newsom called out Vance for his comments in a Fox News Channel interview where the vice president said people should be able to pray and also work on preventing mass shootings.
“Do both, then,” the governor wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
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Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
