Jackson was in Washington, D.C., on Monday for the Ministers March for Justice when he made the remarks.
In his speech, he hit on a number of topics, but criticism of President Trump was an underlying theme throughout the remarks. The march was intended to harken back to Martin Luther King’s famous march and speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
“Trump says you must be able to speak the language of English, (be) qualified and have a job skill. Jesus would not qualify to come in Trump’s country. (Trump) would not qualify to get into Jesus’ kingdom,” Jackson said.
Jackson then read from the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible: “I was hungry, you fed me; naked, you clothed me; captured, you set me free.”
During his speech, Jackson also called for the removal of Confederate monuments. He referenced the woman murdered in Charlottesville, Heather Heyer, saying, “The blood of Heather Heyer ... shows the power of non-violence.”
While he was critical of Trump on Monday, Jackson has previously praised Trump's philanthropy. A 1998 clip of the reverend on C-SPAN shows him thanking the then-businessman for his dedication to Jackson's causes.
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