Franklin Graham: 'Donald Trump Is A Changed Man. I Trust Him'

Franklin Graham takes to the stage in Rhode Island during the Decision America tourBilly Graham Evangelistic Association

Donald Trump will put together the best team in Washington that America has seen for many years, influential US evangelist Franklin Graham said today. 

In an interview with Christian Today, Graham said there was "no question" that God had a hand in the election of Trump as the next President of the United States, and predicted a "huge impact" from his nominations to the Supreme Court.

He revealed that Trump had told him personally that he will repeal the controversial Johnson Amendment of 1954, which prevents church leaders from endorsing or opposing political candidates from the pulpit.

In the face of deep political divisions both within and outside of the church, Graham called on Americans now to "come together" and unite behind their new President. According to polls, white evangelical Christians backed Trump by 81 per cent to 16 per cent – a larger margin of the evangelical vote than was achieved by a Republican candidate in the past three elections. However, Christians who did not support Trump have expressed outrage at his presidency, particularly over his rhetoric regarding women and minority groups.

Graham said Trump is a "changed man" from when he made his notorious lewd comments about women. Though he made courting the evangelical vote a hallmark of his election campaign, Trump faced some calls to step down after a 2005 video recording surfaced in which he could be heard openly speaking about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman.

"I know Donald Trump and have been with him on a number of occasions," Graham said, adding that he had spoken to him privately on Monday this week, the day before the election.

"What you see is what you get. Politicians are pretty good at smiling and being one thing in public and then when the doors are closed, they are different people."

Donald Trump, by contrast, is the same in private as he appears on television, Graham said.

"He's not polished, like a lot of politicians. He's a little rough around the edges. But he means what he says. People need to understand that he's a very powerful person, very strong, he's got a very good family, great children. He's going to put together maybe one of the best teams in Washington that we have seen in years."

Graham said there was no question that God a hand in the election. "The vast majority of the evangelical community supported Donald Trump because he has said he is going to support Christians, not only at home but around the world.

"So when we see Christianity being attacked worldwide, not just by militant Muslims but by secularism, it's refreshing to have a leader who is willing to defend the Christian faith."

He cited research that showed up to 35 million evangelical Christians did not vote in the last election four years ago. It  was this that inspired him to visit all 50 states on his Decision America tour to encourage Christians to go to the ballot box. 

"That's why I went to all 50 states and prayed on the Capitol steps encouraging people to vote. I did not tell them who to vote for. I said you pray before you vote. God will tell you who to vote for. But vote. Don't stay home. Because if you stay home we are going to lose this country.

"I think many Christians heard that. We know that over 80 per cent of the evangelicals voted for Trump."

Graham has personally known Trump for eight years, and said he'd seen "a change in him" during that time. "He came to my father's [evangelist Billy Graham] 95th birthday party three years ago and he had met my father on several occasions when my father was preaching in New York," Graham said.

"I know Donald Trump and have been with him on a number of occasions," Graham said, adding that he had spoken to him privately on Monday this week, the day before the election.

"What you see is what you get. Politicians are pretty good at smiling and being one thing in public and then when the doors are closed, they are different people."

Donald Trump, by contrast, is the same in private as he appears on television, Graham said.

"He's not polished, like a lot of politicians. He's a little rough around the edges. But he means what he says. People need to understand that he's a very powerful person, very strong, he's got a very good family, great children. He's going to put together maybe one of the best teams in Washington that we have seen in years."

Graham said there was no question that God a hand in the election. "The vast majority of the evangelical community supported Donald Trump because he has said he is going to support Christians, not only at home but around the world.

Demonstrators protest in response to the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States in Philadelphia.

Since the announcement that Trump won the election, protests against his presidency have taken place across America. "There is a small group in this country that are anarchists," Graham said of the demonstrations. "They want to see anarchy, not just in the United States but worldwide. You have them in the UK as well. And they are just a small group. Of course they are very unhappy because their side did not win. So they use it as an opportunity to damage properly, to hurt innocent people."

He compared the election of Trump to the decision by the British people to leave the EU.

"The EU has some tremendous financial problems. The people of the UK voted on this and it's their decisions. I think there will be other nations that will leave the EU. I don't think the EU has been good for some countries. And I'm not sure it's been good for any country. Especially when you look at the way immigrants have come in from the Middle East. Once they get in to one EU country they can just flood into any country they want to. Europe has some great problems that European politicans are going to have to try and fix. The UK people are smart enough to realise that when a ship is sinking, it is better to get off it."

But, he said, it is now time for Americans to pull together and unite behind Trump.

"We have to come together behind our leaders where the will of the people has spoken. We are a democracy and so I wasn't pleased when President Obama was elected because I feared his policies would hurt us as the church and they have. But we got behind him. He was our President and we supported him. He is still our President. But we have new leadership. We need to come together as Americans. There needs to be healing. Let's move on."

Franklin was speaking to Christian Today 50 years after millions attended his father Billy Graham's month-long 1966 London Crusade at Earl's Court Arena.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has released the new film for this year's My Hope UK campaign, The Worth of a Soul.

Graham said the My Hope videos had "incredible" results from the start. "It's a tool for the Church. It just gives the Church a film they can use, in a service or a meeing, where the gospel is presented, where it is explained, and where there is an invitation. It is just a tool. It is for the Church, it is free."

The aim is to "take Jesus Christ before the masses, before the people, that he is the Son of God," he said. "People can have a one on one relationship with God."