Jerry Falwell Jr Defends Trump: ‘He Does Not Have a Racist Bone in His Body’ (Video)

“He’s substance over form,” Liberty University president says on ABC’s “This Week”

jerry falwell jr.

Jerry Falwell Jr., a leading evangelical Christian leader and president of Liberty University, defended President Donald Trump and his response to last weekend’s deadly rally of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“He doesn’t say what’s politically correct, he says what’s in his heart, what he believes in his heart and sometimes that gets him into trouble,” Falwell told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “He does not have a racist bone in his body — I know him well.”

Falwell also praised Trump, whom he had endorsed in his presidential campaign, as “something we haven’t had in national leadership in a long time: He’s substance over form.”

Raddatz noted that Falwell was one of the few prominent Trump supporters — or members of his administration — willing to defend the president publicly over his handling of Charlottesville.

“When we asked the White House for an official who could appear on this program today to speak on behalf of the president, they pointed us to … Jerry Falwell Jr.,” Raddatz said.

Falwell tried to sidestep criticism of Trump’s statement on Tuesday that there were “fine people” among the neo-Nazis, arguing that the president “has inside information that I don’t have.”

The evangelical leader also said Trump “left the door open” to calling the killing of counter-protester Heather Heyer “domestic terrorism” — a term that the president was reluctant to use to describe the violence in Charlottesville.

Thom Geier

Thom is an award-winning editor and writer with a keen knowledge of American pop culture and a knack for finding original approaches that inform and delight readers. He’s handled breaking news as well as long-term feature packages, mentored young writers who have become industry leaders, and developed fresh, shareable content across both print and digital…

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