The Rev. Franklin Graham says his advice to President Donald Trump not to use profanity during his speeches is having an effect as he continues to warn about the spiritual and cultural impact of foul language.
In an X post on Wednesday, Graham directed his followers to his interview with Deseret News on the topic and shared the Bible verse Matthew 12:36, which declares: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”
Noting that “President Donald J. Trump has mentioned several times publicly a letter I wrote to him about his use of ‘salty’ language,” Graham told Deseret News that In the letter in question, he explained to Trump that “Your storytelling is great, but it could be so much better if you didn’t use foul language.”
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Trump insisted at a campaign rally last year, where he brought up the letter, that Graham was “wrong” in his analysis.
Graham disagreed, however, noting, “It seems like when he slips momentarily, my letter comes to his mind, and he tells the audience about it, so it must have struck a chord with him.”
Graham said his suggestion to Trump that he swear less stems from a desire to have him set an example that could have an effect on a culture coarsened by profanity: “The president, his pulpit — his microphone — is huge, and it carries a lot of weight. So I’m going to continue to try to encourage him. He’s not just the president of this country. He is a world figure that other nations, other presidents, other people, look up to and want to emulate. … That microphone goes a long way.”
Even as Trump assured a crowd of supporters that he disagreed with Graham’s opinion about his use of profanity in speeches, other remarks made by the then-presidential candidate at the rally in question detailed how he had “been working so hard” to avoid swearing at rallies. At the same time, he contended that the length of his speeches should give him the right to use “one or two” swear words. He maintained that “If you don’t, you don’t get the emphasis.”
Graham, CEO of the charitable organization Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has emerged as one of Trump’s strongest supporters in spite of his criticism of his language. Although Graham told The Wall Street Journal last year that he doesn’t officially endorse candidates, he has made several statements over the years implying that he supports Trump.
In 2021, Graham likened the 10 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who joined all Democrats in voting to impeach Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus Christ. Praising “all that he has done for this country,” Graham proclaimed: “We have never had a president like this in my lifetime.”
“He gave us lower taxes, a strong economy, and low unemployment. He made NATO take notice and pay their own way. He had the guts to take on North Korea and meet with their leader personally. He didn’t let China walk all over us. Just his Mideast peace in the last couple of months deserve a Nobel Peace Prize,” Graham added.
Graham also weighed in on the criminal charges against Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election, describing them as “politically motivated” and the result of the media and the political Left being “scared to death of Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House.” Most recently, Graham delivered an invocation at Trump’s second inauguration earlier this year.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
