Pastor Franklin Graham – the son of Billy Graham – said that he’s “grateful to God for the last four years,” specifically because Donald Trump “brought back ‘Merry’s Christmas!'”
While it’s not clear exactly what Graham was referring to – people said “Merry Christmas” before 2016 and Trump didn’t sign any laws forcing people to say it more – Graham is clear that he’s grateful for the last four years of Trump.
Related: Franklin Graham lashes out at the Pope for trying to “trivialize Christ” & “normalize homosexuality”
“People have asked if I am disappointed about the election,” Graham wrote on Facebook. “When I think about my answer, I have to say honestly, that I am grateful—grateful to God that for the last four years He gave us a president who protected our religious liberties,” probably referring to the various roll backs on LGBTQ rights.
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He then listed everything he’s grateful for about Trump, including that he “defended the lives of the unborn,” “stood against ‘the swamp’ and the corruption in Washington,” and “built the strongest economy in 70 years with the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.”
“Before the pandemic,” Graham specified.
“I’m thankful that the president stood against the secularists who wanted to take Christ out of Christmas and that he brought back the greeting ‘Merry Christmas!’” he wrote. That is all the explanation he gives on that one.
Graham, like most white evangelical Christians, supported Trump’s presidency despite Trump’s rather tenuous connections to Christianity and the types of Christian values Graham and other religious right leaders stress. This is because, Graham wrote, Trump’s sexist and anti-LGBTQ policies align with his.
“It is unfortunate that many people got confused and made the election about personalities rather than the policies of the candidates,” Graham concluded. “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.”
