This story was updated on Nov. 18 to include additional quotes from evangelical leaders.
If Baptist and other evangelical pastors intend to support Donald Trump’s third run for the U.S. presidency, it was not obvious on the night of his campaign announcement Nov. 15.
None of the usual suspects — Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, Al Mohler — issued public statements about Trump Tuesday night after Trump took the stage at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to say he’s running again.
That’s not to say they won’t in time, as all four of these and many other evangelical pastors were vocal supporters of Trump in the 2020 presidential election which he lost but refused to concede.
In the days immediately after Trump’s announcement, a few of his former evangelical supporters made public statements disavowing him.
“Donald Trump can’t save America. He can’t even save himself.”
“Donald Trump can’t save America. He can’t even save himself. He used us to win the White House. We had to close our mouths and eyes when he said things that horrified us,” Texas evangelist Mike Evans told the Washington Post. “I cannot do that anymore.”
Televangelist James Robison also is out this time, he told the National Association of Christian Lawmakers this week.
James Robison
Robison said he once told Trump, “Sir, you act like a little elementary schoolchild and you shoot yourself in the foot every morning you get up and open your mouth! The more you keep your mouth closed, the more successful you’re gonna be!”
To the group of conservative lawmakers, Robison declared: “If Mr. Trump can’t stop his little petty issues, how does he expect people to stop major issues?”
Still others are either silent or cautious in their approach.
“The Republican Party is headed toward a civil war that I have no desire or need to be part of,” Robert Jeffress told Newsweek. But the pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas said he would “happily” support Trump again if he wins the Republican nomination.
Jeffress called Trump “a great friend and our greatest president since Reagan.”
In this cycle, the former president likely faces a tough primary campaign against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others who are angling to be the heirs to the Make America Great Again legacy of the Republican Party. Other key Republican leaders reportedly have begged Trump not to run again because of the growing awareness that he is a drain on the party’s prospects.
Not only is Trump facing multiple federal investigations for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and his attempts to overturn election results in key battleground states, but his business dealings also are under intense scrutiny in New York. He also is fending off legal battles related to sexual misconduct charges.
After Republicans failed to achieve most of their goals in the recent midterm elections, much of the blame has gone to Trump, whose incendiary persona, perpetual lies and mounting legal problems have made him toxic to all but his most devoted supporters.
The last two times he ran for president — 2016 and 2020 — Trump was surrounded by a phalanx of conservative evangelical religious leaders and televangelists. That still could happen, although there is so far no evidence of such a movement.
A National Faith Advisory Board announced in summer 2021, led by televangelist Paula White, still lists no roster of members or supporters.
On the other hand, religious liberty and civil rights groups were quick to sound the alarm about a potential second Trump presidency.
Amanda Tyler
“Donald Trump’s return as a candidate for president means that Christian nationalism will stay in the political spotlight,” said Amanda Tyler, executive director of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. “Christians have a particular responsibility to recognize how Trump and other political leaders use the divisive, dangerous and anti-democratic ideology of Christian nationalism for political gain. As followers of Christ, we must reject Christian nationalism and defend religious freedom for all.
“The Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign continues to provide a public witness for religious freedom for all as an expression of Christ’s commandment to love God and neighbor,” she continued. “We will actively oppose any and all appeals to Christian nationalism throughout the 2024 campaign.”
Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, also issued a warning.
Anthony Romero
“The ACLU filed 424 legal actions against the Trump administration during the four years Donald Trump occupied the Oval Office. Our litigation and advocacy served as a bulwark against the worst abuses of the Trump administration — from family separation to the Muslim ban to efforts to purge immigrants from the U.S. Census. We are still doing clean-up on the lasting impact of Trump policies — particularly at the U.S.-Mexico border,” he said.
“Notably, Trump appointees on the federal bench have done their best to gut abortion rights, limit voting rights, and strip immigrants and LGBTQ individuals of their basic rights. Even as we are engaged in those battles today at all levels of government, the ACLU will be battle-ready for a second Trump administration. If Donald Trump believes a second term would allow him to continue with the unconstitutional and un-American policies of his first term, the ACLU will be ready to fight back at every turn.”
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