President Trump Meets LDS Church Leaders at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City, Utah

President Donald Trump met with several leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City on Dec. 4, 2017. According to a Church press release on Mormon Newsroom, the leaders included President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency, President Russell M. Nelson, Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, and Sister Jean B. Bingham.

The two reports differ on the nature of the visit. Thechurchnews.com described a closed, late-morning meeting attended by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). KUER.org described a brief stop at Welfare Square before Trump’s speech at the state capitol, during which Hatch and several top Church leaders accompanied him on a tour of the site.

KUER reported that the tour included the flagship humanitarian center, a bishops’ storehouse that operates as a food pantry, and a bakery. Thechurchnews.com reported that the leaders and the president discussed religious liberty and the Church’s welfare programs.

Thechurchnews.com reported that the president praised the Church’s humanitarian efforts and recognized President Nelson’s renown as a heart surgeon. KUER quoted Trump as saying the work the Church has done is beyond anything one can think of, and that it operates in 180 countries.

President Eyring said food and materials at Welfare Square would help care for those in need. Such supplies, given to people in want, reflect a practice of sharing one’s resources with others (Hebrews 13:16).

KUER identified Eyring, first counselor to Church President Thomas Monson, as the most senior Church official present. It also reported that Monson has been missing these types of appearances due to health reasons. Thechurchnews.com’s account listed President Nelson among the leaders at the meeting.

KUER also reported that Trump is the least popular Republican president among Mormons in decades, with just over 50 percent approval statewide, and that Mormons make up about 60 percent of Utah’s population. Thechurchnews.com reported that Trump left Salt Lake City on Air Force One later that same day.