President Donald Trump is recalling the moment a prominent pastor accused him of being someone who doesn’t know the Bible.

While speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 5, Trump called out to see if longtime MAGA supporter Robert Jeffress, a pastor of the First Baptist Dallas megachurch, was in the crowd.

The president went on to say that Jeffress went on television during his 2016 presidential campaign and made an astute suggestion that people don’t need to be deeply Christian to be an advocate for Christian values.

“He said, ‘I know every candidate very well and I know Trump a little bit but he may not be as good with the Bible as some of them. He may not have read the Bible as much as some of them,’” the president recalled, paraphrasing Jeffress. “‘In fact, he may have not ever read the Bible, but he will be a much stronger messenger for us and he will get things done that no other man has the ability to get done.’ ”

After retelling the moment, Trump laughed and said, “I didn’t want to admit anything,” in reference to not reading the Bible.

In April 2016, Jeffress told the Dallas Observer that while he couldn’t “officially endorse a candidate,” he was very supportive of Trump’s candidacy.

Asked why he would support a candidate that was not an evangelical, Jeffress said, “There are a lot of factors that go into the choice of a candidate for a Christian. The Bible does not give a checklist for who to vote for, because when the Bible was written there was no such thing as voting.”

“So I think certainly a candidate’s faith is one consideration, but it’s not always the most important consideration,” he continued.

In October 2016 — after the crude Access Hollywood tape was leaked and Trump was battling a wave of sexual assault allegations — NPR asked Jeffress how he justified supporting a candidate whose personal conduct was the subject of intense scrutiny.

“You know, in 1980, evangelicals overwhelmingly elected a candidate who was a known womanizer when he was in Hollywood. He would be the first divorced president in U.S. history. His name was Ronald Reagan,” Jeffress replied. “And when evangelicals voted for Reagan, they weren’t endorsing womanizing. They weren’t endorsing divorce. They were endorsing Reagan’s policies.”

He continued: “And I think that’s why Donald Trump continues to enjoy evangelical support. They’re not endorsing necessarily his lifestyle.”

Trump’s familiarity with the Bible was called into question on the 2016 campaign trail after a viral gaffe while speaking at the evangelical Liberty University about the importance of protecting Christianity.

While reading from his notes, Trump referenced 2 Corinthians 3:17, which reads, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

“I asked some of the folks, because I hear this is a major theme right here, but two Corinthians,” Trump said, mispronouncing the name of Second Corinthians. “Two Corinthians 3:17, that’s the whole ball game,” he continued.

Trump, who was raised Presbyterian and has more recently identified as a non-denominational Christian, acknowledged where faith plays a role in his life at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.

“I mean I behave because I’m afraid not to,” Trump said, looking at the sky. “Because I don’t want to get in trouble.”

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