WASHINGTON — Donald Trump on Thursday mocked House Republicans who he said routinely need presidential attention before they can support GOP bills and roasted congressional Democrats amid ongoing talks about possible immigration enforcement restrictions.

The president struck a noticeably partisan tone in his annual remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, questioning why people of faith would ever vote for a Democrat, even though the foundation that hosts the event has a Democratic co-chair, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. (Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall is the Republican co-chair.)

Trump told the audience it was “hard” to turn down the yearly invitation to speak at the breakfast.

“I come back from a horrendous trip, fighting people that can’t stand us, keeping us out of wars, and seeing things that nobody would believe,” he said. “And last time I came … I got in [at] 4 the morning. They said, ‘Sir, you’re going to be speaking at 7.'”

He continued: “I said, ‘Where?’ ‘The National Prayer Breakfast.’ I said, ‘I’ll be there. I’m afraid not to be.’”

One reason he might have been reluctant to speak at the event, Trump said, was the media coverage of his appearances during his first term.

“I said I’m never going to make it to heaven. I just don’t think I qualify,” the 79-year-old president recalled from past remarks. “The New York Times did a front-page story that Donald Trump is questioning his life and the meaning of his life now. I was just having fun. I really think I probably should make it. I mean, I’m not a perfect candidate, but I did a hell of a lot of good … that’s for sure.”

Trump on Thursday was in full “Weave” mode — his moniker for his speaking style, bouncing from topic to topic. He drew chuckles when mentioning his dislike of sleeping on planes. “I like looking out the window watching for missiles and enemies, actually,” he said.

His attendance, though, came amid slumping job approval numbers. A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found 56 percent of Americans disapproved of his job performance, while 39 percent approved.

Here are three takeaways from Trump’s remarks at the prayer breakfast:

Dinging Democrats

With a deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security fast approaching, the president did not mention talks about how to avoid it.

The White House and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., have been in discussions about Democratic demands for on-the-ground tactical changes by federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and other cities.

Instead, Trump lambasted the opposition party and questioned why anyone with religious beliefs could vote Democratic.

“I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat,” he said to some laughter and tepid applause. “And I know we have some [Democrats] here today, and I don’t know why they’re here, because they certainly don’t give us their vote.”

He chided the Democrats in attendance at the famed Washington Hilton for opposing voter ID policies.

“We’re trying to pass voter ID and other things … having to do with your religion, and getting the Democrats to vote is very, very tough,” Trump said. “By the way, this will be the last year that Democrats show up to this event.”

“I got to say,” Trump told the audience to more laughter, “how the hell do you vote for these people?”

Blaming Bondi?

The president defended Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a onetime Democratic congresswoman who’s been criticized by former party mates for overseeing a recent federal raid on a voting facility in Georgia.

Trump said Gabbard has been “doing a great job,” adding, “She took a lot of heat two days ago because she went in at [Attorney General Pam Bondi’s] insistence. She went in, and she looked at votes that [we] want to be checked out from Georgia.”

He appeared to shift responsibility for the contentious raid on Bondi.

“They say, ‘Why is she doing it?’ … Because Pam wanted her to do it,” he said before appearing to contend, without offering evidence, that Gabbard and federal agents were there to look into possible Russian interference in the 2024 election.

“They’ve been saying, ‘Russia, Russia, Russia has been screwing with our elections.’ OK, so let’s assume Russia had something to do with it,” he said. “So now they’re saying, ‘Russia had nothing to do with it.’ … But you could add China and about five other countries.”

Senate Intelligence Vice Chair Mark Warner, however, has questioned the DNI’s involvement in a domestic law enforcement operation related to U.S. elections.

“Director Gabbard’s own team acknowledges there was no evidence of foreign interference, yet they seized voting machines and election data anyway,” the Virginia Democrat said Thursday on X. “Absent a foreign nexus, intelligence agencies have absolutely no lawful role in domestic election administration. Are our intelligence tools being abused to pursue this farce?”

Trump, though, endorsed his intelligence boss, saying Thursday, “She’s done a great job.”

Roasting Roy

Less than a month before the midterm primary season kicks off on March 3, Trump joked about House Republicans’ paper-thin majority, which grew narrower this week with the seating of Texas Democrat Christian Menefee.

Trump praised Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as a “very talented man” with a “small minority.”

“It’s really because we go back and forth between minority and majority, and half the time we’re minority, and we still win,” he said. “We have a couple of people that I consider to be negative, but we’re one [vote] up, two up. Sometimes, we’re three up.”

“Can you imagine if we ever picked up, like, 20 or 30 seats? … That’d be too easy,” he quipped. “It wouldn’t be fun.”

The president jabbed at a familiar target — Texas Rep. Chip Roy, who is leaving the House to run for state attorney general. Roy, Trump said, is among nine Republican members he “always” has to talk into voting for major legislation.

Trump said his phone often rings at 3 a.m. with the same member on the other end of the line.

“I say, ‘Chip. How you doing, Chip?’ ‘Hello, sir. Sir, I can’t quite get there. I just don’t know. Could I come over for breakfast?’” Trump said in a mocking tone. “‘You got to get me there, sir.’”

The president said he grudgingly always, replies, “‘Let’s have breakfast.’”

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