Right-wing Christian evangelist Franklin Graham is ecstatic over President Trump’s airstrikes against the Syrian regime.
Appearing on Fox & Friends this Sunday, Graham did that thing some religious conservatives do where they make war a holy sacrament. He seemed certain that Trump was guided by his faith when he made the decision to strike Syria. While most people agree that Trump’s new found religiosity is a transparent facade, Graham claims to be convinced the President is a man who “understands the power of prayer.”
“I appreciate that we have a president who understands prayer and solicits prayer,” Graham said. “Our country is in trouble, the world is in trouble, and the perplexity of the problems that the president faces every day — at home and abroad — is just incredible.”
.@Franklin_Graham: “I just appreciate that we have a man in office that understands the power of prayer and the need for prayer.” pic.twitter.com/HttINFc3JR
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 15, 2018
“We should be praying for him, and he asks us to pray for our soldiers, and for those that are in harms way,” he continued. “The Syrian people — that there would be resolution. But at the same time, we pray for the president. And the Bible tells us to pray for authority, not that those in authority are perfect people — they’re not. They’re imperfect, and that’s why God wants us to pray. To pray for the president and all those that are in leadership.”
He went on to add that he appreciates “that we have a man in office that understands the power of prayer and the need for prayer.”
When Obama was president, Graham didn’t give him the same benefit of the doubt.
During an MSNBC appearance back in 2012, he was asked if he thought Obama was a Christian. “He has said he’s a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is,” Graham replied, clearly not wanting to answer the question directly. MSNBC host Willie Geist pushed further, asking if he thought Rick Santorum is a Christian, to which Graham replied, “Oh, I think so.”
“So how do you know?” Geist pressed. “If the standard is, ‘only the person knows what in them’ when you apply it to [Obama], why is it different for Rick Santorum?”
“Well, because his values are so clear on moral issues,” Graham replied. “No question about it. And I just appreciate the moral stand that he takes on these things.”
Anyone who has even a superficial knowledge of Trump’s history wouldn’t agree that his values “are so clear.” Maybe Graham’s version of Christianity has skewed his definition of morality.
You can watch Graham’s full Fox & Friends interview here.
Featured image via screen grab
