Several notable Evangelical leaders have reacted to a Manhattan jury’s decision to convict former President Donald Trump on all 34 counts of falsifying business records within the case of The People of New York v. Donald J. Trump.
The jury reached their decision Thursday, greater than a yr after Trump was indicted based on allegations that the Trump campaign paid porn star Stormy Daniels within the weeks leading as much as the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s former attorney-turned-adversary Michael Cohen testified to the United States House of Representatives in 2019 that his former boss “asked me to repay an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and misinform his wife about it, which I did.”
Cohen presented a House committee with “a replica of the $130,000 wire transfer” he sent to Daniels’ attorney “in the course of the closing days of the campaign” so she would “maintain her silence about her affair with Mr. Trump.” In 2021, the Federal Election Commission voted to not pursue charges against Trump for violating campaign finance law.
Supporters of Trump have maintained that the fees against the previous president related to the so-called “hush money” payments constitute election interference in light of his status because the leading Republican candidate and presumptive opponent of President Joe Biden within the 2024 presidential election, which is just over five months away.
 Here are 10 reactions from high-profile Evangelicals.
1. Rev. Franklin Graham
The Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the charitable organization Samaritan’s Purse, took to Facebook to opine that “Our country is at a crossroads.”
Graham added, “What we saw today has never happened before, and I believe for the vast majority of Americans, it raises questions on whether our legal system will be trusted. Pray for our nation, for God’s guiding hands that this republic will likely be one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”
2. Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins, the president of the Evangelical conservative advocacy group Family Research Council, shared his thoughts on the decision in an X post Thursday, saying: “Our Republic only thrives when justice is blind, it dies when justice is blinded by politics and power. This is a tragic day for our Republic.”
3. Jack Graham
Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Church in Plano, Texas, delivered a message to his followers on X Thursday. “Everyone take a deep breath, pray and ask God to deliver justice to America after the sham of a trial in NYC,” he said. “There is a lot at stake including the longer term of our legal system and the structure of our nation.”
4. Jentezen Franklin
Jentezen Franklin, the senior pastor of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, doubled down on his support for the previous president in a post on XÂ Thursday.
“My prayers are with @RealDonaldTrump. It’s a really sad day for this nation,” he wrote, recalling that he “met with him a couple of months ago together with other leaders.”
“We prayed, talked for over an hour and he knew this battle would change into severe,” Franklin added. “I’m proud to have known this man and I’ll proceed to be a friend he can count on. I do know who I am unable to wait to vote for on Nov. 5! Get registered to vote time is running out.”
The post included an image of Franklin posing with Trump and one other image of non secular leaders praying over the previous president.
5. Shane Claiborne
While most statements coming from the Evangelical community indicated support for Trump or opposition to the fees against him, Evangelical writer Shane Claiborne’s response to the decision reflected a distinct standpoint. Claiborne declared in an X post on Friday morning that “No one is beyond redemption, not even Donald Trump.”
“It is true that his life currently embodies the 7 deadly sins, but God’s grace can transform any human being. There is a path to healing and salvation for Trump if he chooses it. Redemption begins with repentance. And repentance begins with confession. And confession begins with truth. I don’t rejoice in anyone’s suffering — but I do rejoice in fact and accountability. Because truth sets us free. And sin has consequences.”
Claiborne vowed that “I’ll proceed to hope for Trump, that he’ll know the love of Jesus personally and be transformed by that love.”
The pinned post on Claiborne’s X account decries “the heresy of Christian nationalism, the cult of Trump” and expresses support for “ending the war, welcoming immigrants, chopping guns [and] abolishing the death penalty.”
6. Paula White
Paula White, who served as a spiritual advisor to Trump during his tenure within the White House, described Thursday as “a tragic day for all Americans as we watched firsthand the judicial system weaponized to go after President Trump for political gain.”
Like Franklin, White shared pictures of spiritual leaders praying over Trump in a post published on the social media platform X on Thursday.
“We the people will get up against this in November!” she vowed. “May God bless you, my very long time friend, President Trump, and will God bless all of us who stand for righteousness!”
7. Ralph Reed
Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Evangelical conservative advocacy organization Faith & Freedom Coalition, issued a lengthy statement following the decision. “Today’s verdict was as shameful because it was predictable. The entire process was nakedly partisan from the beginning, with New York’s leftist prosecutor campaigning on taking down President Trump,” he said.
“The deck only continued to be stacked because the judge permitted prejudicial testimony, prohibited the defense from offering evidence to counter the prosecution’s bogus charges, especially on federal campaign law, after which instructed the jury in a way that each one but guaranteed a guilty verdict,” Reed added. “No honest observer believes this trial was based on justice or fairness — it was based on hatred for Donald Trump, revenge for his successful conservative presidency, and a desperate desire to derail his campaign.”
Insisting that “justice requires that this verdict be appealed,” Reed predicted that “it’s going to ultimately be overturned” and that “tens of millions of American voters will reply to this and other politically motivated prosecutions by voting to revive the rule of law on November 5.”
8. Mike Johnson
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., an outspoken Evangelical Christian, released a statement on X proclaiming that “Today is a shameful day in American history.” Johnson expressed concern that “Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon,” referring to Cohen.
“This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one,” he asserted. “The weaponization of our justice system has been an indicator of the Biden administration, and the choice today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents. The American people see this as lawfare, and so they comprehend it is fallacious — and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict — and he WILL WIN!”
9. Dwight McKissic
Dwight McKissic, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, shared his thoughts in regards to the verdict on X Thursday. “I’m baffled as to the factual basis as to why white evangelicalism seems like an injustice occurred today,” he remarked.
McKissic cited the response to the decision as the most recent example of how “there are two Americas, and two churches.” He pondered whether the “disappointment & disapproval of today’s verdict” was based on white Evangelicals’ “belief that DJT did not have sex with SD,” if it was “based on a belief that DJT didn’t pay $130,000 to cover up his affair in order to not hurst his election possibilities” or “based on not believing DJT’s own recorded words admitting to as such.”
10. Michael Wear
Michael Wear, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama, shared McKissic’s perspective on the decision. In a thread published on X Thursday, Wear commented that “Not much surprises me anymore here, however the undeniable fact that the character of the crime doesn’t provoke a minute of hesitation to those defending Trump today is considered one of those things.”
“Isn’t the conviction of somebody who made a hush money payment to cover up an adulterous affair about as straightforward of a tale of ethical comeuppance as one could tell?” he asked.
