As Turkey threatens Syria’s Christians, megachurch pastor brags that ‘not one evangelical’ will abandon Trump

While more than one religious and ethnic minority is under threat from Turkey’s invasion of northeast Syria, America’s evangelical leaders seem to be only only concerned with one, namely the region’s Christian population. But President Trump’s decision to green light Turkey’s invasion doesn’t seem to bother one of his most ardent defenders, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.

In an interview with The New York Times this Thursday, Jeffress said he’d “happily” trust Trump’s judgement in the face of bipartisan criticism over the decision.

“Some evangelicals may disagree with the president’s decision,” Jeffress said. “But I guarantee you there is not one evangelical supporter of the president who would switch their vote and support Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden over a Syria decision.”

Jeffress’s comments come as a handful of Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters have made public statements decrying the pullback of US troops in the region. Last week, Christian Broadcasting Network founder and 700 Club host, Pat Robertson, said on his show that he was “appalled” by Trump’s decision.

“Ladies and gentlemen I want to say right now,” Robertson declared in a video clip flagged by Right Wing Watch. “I am absolutely appalled that the United States is gonna betray those democratic forces in northern Syria, that we’re possibly gonna allow the Turks to come in against the Kurds.”

Just days before he stood on stage with Trump this Saturday at the Values Voter Summit, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins tweeted that a Turkish invasion of the region “would pose a grave threat to the region’s Kurds and Christians, endangering the prospects of true religious freedom in the Middle East.”

Featured image via screen grab/YouTube

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.