Religious leaders to hold protest against Trump in Washington

Over a thousand religious leaders from various faiths will gather in Washington, D.C., on Monday to protest President Trump’s moral leadership.

The “One Thousand Ministers March for Justice,” which was organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton, will fall on the 54th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

The rally will begin by the MLK Memorial on the National Mall at 10 a.m., according to The Washington Post.

At the event, leaders will “recommit to being at the forefront of social justice and civil rights,” according to the report.

“We want to convene ministers from all faiths to make a moral statement that no matter what party is in office, there are certain moral things that should be nonnegotiable,” Sharpton told the paper. “That is voting rights, health care, criminal justice reform and economic justice.”

The rally comes as the president is under fire for his response to the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month. Trump said “both sides” were responsible.

Monday’s faith rally was planned prior to the violence in Charlottesville.

One member of Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board resigned to protest the president’s response to Charlottesville.

“It became obvious that there was a deepening conflict in values between myself and the administration,” the Rev. A.R. Bernard said after his resignation earlier this month.

Sharpton told the Post the events in Charlottesville gave Monday’s rally “new energy.”

“Charlottesville gave it a new energy, and a lot of ministers called in saying that this is the time to make a moral statement,” he said.

“The president called for unity, and we are going to show unity. The question is, which side is the president on?”

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Valerie Jarrett was attending the protest. This report was updated on August 26 at 8:26 a.m.