Milwaukee Archbishop Grob Apologizes for Praying With Trump, Says the White House "Manipulated" Bishops Into a "Political Photo Opportunity"

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee apologized in a statement on the archdiocesan website, reported by the National Catholic Reporter on Oct. 25, for taking part in a meeting of 12 bishops with President Trump. He said the meeting was “manipulated” by the White House into a “political photo opportunity,” and expressed “sincere regret.” The meeting, on October 22, was organized by the Trump-aligned Heritage Foundation. Grob said the bishops were “directed to stand behind him and pray,” and that permission for public distribution of the video or photos “was not given by the bishops.” Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines issued a statement the same day saying the White House had “exploited” the gathering for “partisan political purposes.”

Grob had co-signed a statement with other Wisconsin bishops criticizing the Trump administration’s mistreatment of immigrants. The apology is the bishops’ own account of how the White House used a private pastoral meeting for its pre-election imagery. Related timeline entries: 2026-02-27–usccb-calls-trump-birthright-citizenship-order-affront-catholic-teaching, 2026-04-14–vance-papal-rebuke-pope-leo-xiv-captured-catholic-tradition-operational-confrontation, 2026-02-18–400-clergy-ash-wednesday-letter-condemns-white-christian-nationalism.