Evangelist leader’s remarks are in stark contrast to remarks by other faith leaders
After the widespread outcry faced by President Donald Trump after his decision on transgenders in the U.S. army, the president is at the receiving end of a fresh backlash owing to his rather tepid take on the Charlottesville march by white supremacists. The protests by the white supremacists were carried out in Virginia by a group of white men who felt threatened by Americans who were not white Christian. The rally was met by counter-protests, which eventually wiped into violent clashes leading to the death of a woman and leaving many others injured.
Franklin Graham Says Satan is Behind Charlottesville Hate Attack, Defends Trump[/tweetthis]
The president simply said he condemned the violence in both sides and called for Americans to stand united and avoid such acts of “bigotry and racism” – a response that was not taken well by people. Critics quickly took to social media to vent out their anger at the what they felt was the president’s rather nonchalant take on the incidents. Trump has also been criticized for not doing enough to curb racist movements. If anything, he was actually accused of sprouting and encouraging ideas of white Christian supremacy in the U.S.
The famous evangelist Franklin Graham, long-time supporter of Trump quickly came to rescue him from the critical remarks directed towards him. Graham blamed Satan for the chaos, saying, “Really, this boils down to evil in people’s hearts. Satan is behind it all. He wants division, he wants unrest, he wants violence and hatred. He’s the enemy of peace and unity.”
Graham further added the real culprits behind the chaos were the politicians who were behind the decision to get the memorial that the protestors were trying to save, removed. He also concerned the officials who gave permission for the protest to take place. He was very upset that instead of holding these officials accountable, the bulk of the criticism was being directed towards the president instead. In his own words, “Instead they want to blame President Donald J. Trump for everything.”
Sycophant Logic — #FranklinGraham: Blame anyone but #whitesupremacists & #Trump for #Charlottesville https://t.co/3aMlxd20QB @lgbtqnation
— Jeff Taylor (@jefftaylorhuman) August 15, 2017
Ironically, however, the remarks by other faith leaders were quite different from what Graham said, with most of them concerning Trump’s delayed response in criticizing the white supremacists.