Franklin Graham

=== Donald Trump (2017–2021) ===
In April 2011, Graham told ABC's ''[[This Week (ABC TV series)|This Week]]'' program that [[Donald Trump]], who had recently declared an interest in the Republican nomination for the 2012 U.S. presidential race, was his preferred candidate.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8469257/US-religious-figure-backs-Donald-Trump-White-House-bid.html | location=London | work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] | title=US religious figure backs Donald Trump White House bid | date=April 22, 2011}}</ref> During an [[MSNBC]] ''[[Morning Joe]]'' interview on February 21, 2012,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10466877-rev-graham-obama-seen-as-son-of-islam | location=New York | publisher=[[MSNBC]]| title=Obama Seen as Son of Islam | date=February 21, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224020940/http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10466877-rev-graham-obama-seen-as-son-of-islam | archive-date=February 24, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Graham said that [[Rick Santorum]] was most closely aligned to Christian values in his words and deeds and that Senator Santorum was certainly a Christian at heart. On President Obama, Graham said that he is "a fine man," but could not know whether the president was a Christian in his heart. Asked about [[Mitt Romney]], Graham said that most Protestants do not view Mormonism as a Christian faith.<ref>{{cite web |title=MSNBC's most viewed in 2012: Rev. Graham says Obama seen as 'son of Islam' |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/msnbcs-most-viewed-2012-rev-msna17249 |publisher=[[MSNBC]]| date=December 27, 2012 |orig-date=February 21, 2012 |access-date=12 October 2022}}</ref>

On February 28, 2012, Graham responded to a one-page letter sent by the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP) as an: "Open Letter from Leaders of Faith Regarding Statements by Franklin Graham." In the introduction to the one-page letter, the fourteen signatories stated: "We are greatly troubled by recent attempts by some religious leaders to use faith as a political weapon. We were disturbed and disappointed by statements made by Rev. Franklin Graham during an interview on [[MSNBC]] that questioned whether President Obama is a Christian." In closing, the open-letter stated: "We call on Rev. Graham and all Christian leaders to exemplify this essential teaching of Jesus and refrain from using Christianity as a weapon of political division."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/naacp-faith-leaders-speak-out-on-rev.-franklin-graham |title=Faith Leaders Speak Out on Rev. Franklin Graham |publisher=NAACP |access-date=May 31, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602033851/http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/naacp-faith-leaders-speak-out-on-rev.-franklin-graham |archive-date=June 2, 2013  }}</ref>
In June 2016, Graham told a crowd, "I have zero hope for the Democratic Party; I have no hope for the Republican Party. I am running a campaign to put God back in the political process."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.startribune.com/evangelist-franklin-graham-urges-voting-even-in-disgust/383311471/|title=Evangelist Franklin Graham holds 'no hope' for either parties' candidates|first=Jean Hopfensperger Star|last=Tribune|website=Star Tribune}}</ref> Nevertheless, in November 2016, Graham told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that God had played a role in Donald Trump's election as U.S. president, saying: "I could sense going across the country that God was going to do something this year. And I believe that at this election, God showed up."<ref name="Washington Post 10 November 2016">{{cite news |last= Bever |first= Lindsey |title= Franklin Graham: The media didn't understand the 'God-factor' in Trump's win |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/11/10/franklin-graham-the-media-didnt-understand-the-god-factor| date= November 10, 2016|newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=March 17, 2017 }}</ref> The same newspaper noted that the day after Trump's victory, Graham had posted a comment on Facebook in which he wrote, "Did God show up? […] In watching the news after the election, the secular media kept asking 'How did this happen?' 'What went wrong?' 'How did we miss this?' Some are in shock. Political pundits are stunned. Many thought the Trump/Pence ticket didn't have a chance. None of them understand the God-factor."<ref name="Washington Post 10 November 2016"/> At the [[Inauguration of Donald Trump]] on January 20, 2017, Graham chose to read a passage from Paul's [[First Epistle to Timothy]], chapter 2, which calls for prayers for all people, including "kings and for all those in authority, that we may live peacefully quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."<ref name="Charlotte Observer 20 January 2017">{{cite news |last= Funk |first= Tim|title= In prayer, Franklin Graham sees rain at inauguration as good omen for Trump |url= http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article127687134.html| date= January 20, 2017| newspaper= [[The Charlotte Observer]] |location= Charlotte, North Carolina | access-date=March 17, 2017 }}</ref>

Since the 2016 election, Graham has "become known, above all, as the most vociferous evangelical ally" of Trump.<ref name=newyorker>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/franklin-grahams-uneasy-alliance-with-donald-trump|title=Franklin Graham's Uneasy Alliance with Donald Trump|date=September 11, 2018|access-date=December 21, 2019|magazine=The New Yorker|first=Eliza|last=Griswold}}</ref> He has strongly opposed the [[First impeachment of Donald Trump|impeachment]] process, calling it an "unjust inquisition."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/pray-45-donald-trump-t-shirt-franklin-graham-advertisement-christians-prayer-abortion-1469377|work=[[Newsweek]]|title=Evangelist Franklin Graham urges Prayers for Donald Trump by Promoting T-Shirt|date=November 2, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2019|first=Benjamin|last=Fearnow}}</ref> In a November 21, 2019, interview with [[Eric Metaxas]], Graham suggested opposition to Trump was the work of a "demonic power."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/to-trumps-evangelicals-everyone-else-is-a-sinner/602569/|title=Are Trump's Critics Demonically Possessed?|first=Peter|last=Wehner|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=November 25, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/november/heads-spin-as-franklin-graham-says-demonic-activity-may-be-behind-trump-opposition|first=Deborah|last=Bunting|work=CBN News|title=Heads Spin As Franklin Graham Says Demonic Activity May Be Behind Trump Opposition|date=November 26, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref> In December, when ''[[Christianity Today]]'' magazine, founded by Graham's father Billy, published an editorial calling Trump "profoundly immoral" and supporting his removal from office, Graham responded by saying his father had voted for Trump and saw him as the "man for this hour in history for our nation" and that the magazine was "representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/billy-grahams-son-says-its-unfathomable-christianity-today-would-side-democrats-totally-1478463|work=[[Newsweek]]|title=Billy Graham's Son Says It's 'Unfathomable' Christianity Today would Side With Democrats in 'Totally Partisan' Attack on Trump|first=Jenni|last=Fink|date=December 20, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/My-father-voted-for-Trump-Franklin-Graham-responds-to-Christianity-Todays-anti-Trump-op-ed-566374111.html|title="My father voted for Trump:" Franklin Graham responds to anti-Trump op-ed|date=December 20, 2019|access-date=December 21, 2019|publisher=WVLT}}</ref>

In mid-December 2020, Graham wrote about the [[Trump presidency]] on [[Facebook]], saying that "President Trump will go down in history as one of the great presidents of our nation, bringing peace and prosperity to millions here in the U.S. and around the world."<ref>{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Cameron|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/530425-franklin-graham-thanks-trump-as-we-come-to-the-end-of-this-election-season|title=Franklin Graham thanks Trump 'as we come to the end of this election season'|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=December 16, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref>

In January 2021, Graham compared the ten Republican members of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] who voted to [[Second impeachment of Donald Trump|impeach]] Trump to [[Judas Iscariot]], suggesting that the Democrats had promised them "[[thirty pieces of silver]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/franklin-graham-republicans-trump-impeachment_n_6001ebb6c5b6ffcab9644320|title=Evangelist Compares Republicans Who Voted For Trump's Impeachment To Judas|author1=Carol Kurvilla|publisher=[[HuffPost]]|date=January 15, 2021}}</ref>