Lorenzo Sewell, a pastor who delivered a controversial prayer at the inauguration of President Donald Trump, provoked further criticism by selling a cryptocurrency shortly after the prayer.
The senior pastor of 180 Church, which is located in Detroit, Michigan, offered an animated prayer at the inauguration on Monday based heavily on the “I Have a Dream” speech from Martin Luther King Jr., as the event occurred on the holiday which honors the civil rights leader.
Some appreciated the “brilliant and anointed” benediction, while others said that the prayer was “a complete disgrace” and an “embarrassment” due to the showy nature of the oration.
Sewell invited social media followers to buy a cryptocurrency named after himself hours after the inauguration, vowing that he would “never sell on the community but rather just earn fees as our token continues to flourish.” Sewell told followers that the coin would benefit his church.
The comment about never selling “on the community” is an ostensible reference to recent pump-and-dump scams, in which an influencer asks followers to buy his or her cryptocurrency, only to strategically sell the digital asset and make a profit while the price of the coin crashes.
Sewell previously hosted Trump for a roundtable at the church as he campaigned in Michigan. The pastor was then invited to pray on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention.
Trump also launched a coin named after himself days before his inauguration. The value of the digital asset soared significantly as he prepared for his imminent return to the White House.