President Trump honors Camp Mystic 'patriots' at National Prayer Breakfast
President Trump honors Camp Mystic Heroes at National Prayer Breakfast
At this morning's 74th Annual National Prayer Breakfast, President Trump moved the audience with a powerful tribute to two young survivors of the "fateful" July 4, 2025, flash flood at Camp Mystic.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump used the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday to highlight the survival of two Texas camp counselors, calling their escape from a July flash flood at Camp Mystic a "testament to the power of faith."
Trump honors Camp Mystic survivors
Speaking to a ballroom of lawmakers, religious leaders, and international dignitaries, Trump honored Emma Foltz and London Smith for their actions during the disaster at Camp Mystic. On July 4, 2025, a historic weather event dropped 20 inches of rain on Central Texas, causing a nearby river to swell 20 feet in a matter of minutes.
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What they're saying:
"It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen," Trump said, recalling his visit to the site with the first lady in the days following the flood. "The cabins were gone. Anybody in the cabins were gone. They thought the cabins were the safe place to be. It wasn’t."
The president detailed how Foltz led 14 young girls to safety as the water surged. He described Smith’s experience trapped at the top of a building, where she and a group of campers prayed as the floodwaters climbed toward them.
"As they prayed, the water miraculously stopped rising," Trump said. "Just a few inches from their feet."
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The disaster, which resulted in the deaths of several young campers, became a focal point of the president's address on the efficacy of prayer. He praised a statement made by Smith following the tragedy, in which she noted that "life is not promised" and every breath is not guaranteed.
"I saw her make the statement... a young girl making that statement. Incredible. Actually a very complex statement. Smart but true," Trump said.
Inviting the two women to stand and be recognized, the president noted that while they told him they were "a little shy" about speaking, their courage during the flood proved otherwise.
National Prayer Breakfast
The National Prayer Breakfast, a tradition dating back to the Eisenhower administration, frequently serves as a venue for presidents to bridge the gap between policy and personal faith. For Trump, the story of the Camp Mystic survivors served as a metaphor for national resilience.
"Prayer strengthens, prayer heals, prayer empowers, and prayer saves," Trump said. "Quite simply, prayer is America’s superpower. It really is a superpower. And it always has been, and it always will be."
The president said that the "unbroken" faith of the American people, exemplified by the two counselors, ensures the country’s future remains strong.
The Source: Information in this article is from what President Donald Trump said during the 74th Annual National Prayer Breakfast.