Armenian religious leaders and Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Narek Mkrtchyan met with President Donald Trump at a September 16 event organized in cooperation with the White House Office of Faith and Opportunity Initiatives.

The White House delegation included Pastor Paula White-Cain, Head of the Office, and Director Jennifer Korn. High-ranking representatives from the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, and Evangelical churches attended the meeting.

According to an embassy press release, the discussion, held in the Oval Office, focused on U.S.-Armenia relations, shared Christian heritage, religious freedom, and regional peace efforts. 

Highlighting the role of faith in fostering mutual understanding, the spiritual leaders concluded the meeting with a collective prayer for the well-being of both nations and expressed gratitude for President Trump's contributions to the Armenian peace process.

The White House Faith Office, established by President Trump in 2018, serves as the central bridge between the federal government and religious organizations, houses of worship, and community groups.

While faith-based initiatives have existed across several U.S. administrations, critics argue that the modern office’s structure, leadership, and policy focus raise distinct constitutional, civil rights, and political concerns.

Trump’s appointment of televangelist Paula White-Cain to lead the office has drawn sharp criticism, not only from progressives but also from conservative Christian leaders. Detractors within mainstream evangelical circles have openly criticized her promotion of the "prosperity gospel"—a theology that links financial donations to spiritual and material wealth—with some labeling it exploitative and heretical. 

White-Cain has drawn fierce pushback for blurring the lines between theology and partisan politics. 

White, a fierce Trump supporter, delivered a prayer at his June 2020 reelection campaign and warned that  "Christians that don't support President Trump will have to answer to God.”

One day after the election, when results showed Trump was losing to Joe Biden, White appeared at a live-streamed prayer service in which she spoke in tongues and repeatedly called on "angelic reinforcement" from angels from Africa and South America to secure Trump's reelection.

During a 2026 Easter lunch event, her comments comparing President Trump’s legal battles to the trials of Jesus Christ were widely rebuked by both secular observers and Christian leaders as politically weaponized and blasphemous. 

Photo: Armenia’s Embassy in U.S.