On Monday, two days after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue fueled by a toxic cocktail of nativism and anti-Semitism, the Trump administration—presumably looking to give the impression of compassion for Jewish communities deeply shaken by the attack—had a rabbi open with an invocation before Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign event in Michigan. However, in possibly the most on-brand move yet from the Trump administration, the Pence team managed to make the prayer not only controversial, but bafflingly offensive as well, by ceding the stage to a Messianic Jewish rabbi, Loren Jacobs of Synagogue Shema Yisrael, to lead a prayer, “Jesus the Messiah.”

In response to antisemitic white nationalist attack, Vice President Mike Pence opens campaign event with a Christian Rabbi. pic.twitter.com/5iMLx1V3NH — rafael shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 30, 2018

Messianic Jews, commonly known as “Jews for Jesus,” are not considered Jewish at all by most mainstream Jewish groups, and their embrace by evangelical Christians is often considered offensive, even anti-Semitic.

Then, rather than praying for the victims and survivors of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack, Mike Pence's Christian Rabbi prays --by name-- for each Republican candidate on a list given to him. pic.twitter.com/nZ5Vj6MQs8 — rafael shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 30, 2018

When asked about Jacobs’ inflammatory presence, the vice president’s staff said that he was not invited to “speak on behalf of the Jewish community.” No kidding.

Team Pence says: "He was invited by Lena Epstein to offer a prayer at the event, which he did early in the program. The VP invited him back on stage to deliver a message of unity. He was not invited by the VP’s office to speak on behalf of the Jewish community.” — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 30, 2018

These are the guys legit running the country right now.