Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson led a prayer to kick off Wednesday's Cabinet meeting.

And right beforehand, President Trump told reporters they could stick around for it because, well, they needed it.

"You can stay if you want because you need it more than we do," the president told journalists, according to reporters in the room.

Holiday spirit? Unnecessary prodding? You be the judge.

Here's Carson's prayer:

Our kind Father in Heaven, we're so thankful for the opportunities and the freedom that you granted us in this country. We thank you for the president and for Cabinet members who are courageous, who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future for those who come behind us. We're thankful for the unity in Congress that has presented an opportunity for our economy to expand so that we can fight the corrosive debt that has been destroying our future. And we hope that unity will spread even beyond party lines, so that people recognize that we have a nation that is worth saving, and recognize that nations divided against themselves cannot stand. In this time of discord, distrust and dishonesty, we ask that you would give us a spirit of gratitude, compassion and common sense and give us the wisdom to be able to guide this great nation in the future. We ask in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Trump sat through the prayer, eyes closed, hands clasped and heads bowed.

The pool was sent out after 18 minutes. The president did not take questions, including a shouted one about whether the tax bill benefited him personally.

Contributing: David Jackson