America’s most prominent evangelical leader defends Trump’s porn star affair: ‘He’s not president perfect’

In the 2018 version of evangelical Christianity, having an extramarital affair with a porn star months after your wife at home gave birth to your child is not a big deal. Why? Because people change!

As the reporting goes, Donald Trump started his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels just months after Barron, Trump’s fifth child with his third wife, was born. As each example of Trump’s moral monstrosities come to light one by one, there’s always an open question looming in the background: how will his alarmingly large base of support from Christian evangelicals react?

Franklin Graham, son of the legendary evangelist Bill Graham, is giving us a hint.

During an appearance this Saturday with MSNBC’s Alex Witt, Graham didn’t condemn Trump’s alleged sexual failings (Graham had initially said he didn’t believe they were true). He even suggested that they didn’t matter, since Trump isn’t “president perfect.”

“Now did he have an affair with this woman? I have no clue, but I believe that 70 years of age, the president is a much different person today than he was four years ago, five years ago, ten years ago or whatever and we just have to give the man the benefit of the doubt,” Graham continued.

“He said he didn’t do it,” he added. “So okay, let’s say he didn’t do it.”

At one point during the interview, Witt brought up the charges of hypocrisy being leveled at the evangelical community over its support for Trump despite his apparent un-Christian history.

“I don’t think it’s hypocritical because he’s a flawed man, for me to try to support him and help him and pray for him,” Graham said. “I’m a flawed person. and I would hate for people to see all the baggage I have in my life, but the fact is that God has forgiven me and I’ve asked for his forgiveness, and I think the president has, too.”

Watch the interview below:

[RawStory] Featured image via screen grab

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.