Jerry Falwell Jr. endorses Donald Trump for president
The statement – which has been reported on but not yet officially released – comes as Mr Trump and Ted Cruz are battling in Iowa for the support of social conservatives, according to Washington Post.
“It is truly an honor to receive Jerry’s endorsement”, Trump said in his own statement.
“I do absolutely think Falwell and Liberty are responsible for the rapid increase in evangelical support for Trump and the decline in support for Cruz”, he said. Trump’s cunning art of the deal to clinch Iowa now involves starting rallies with a prayer, lead in Souix City, by Dallas mega-church pastor Robert Jeffress, yet another dig at Cruz.
Trump delivers speech at Liberty University’s convocation on January 16, 2016.
“I see a lot of parallels between my father and Donald Trump”, he said at the time. “He can not be bought, he’s not a puppet on a string like many other candidates…who have wealthy donors as their puppet masters”.
Stemberger called out Trump’s multiple marriages and ownership of casinos “with strip clubs” – slamming his wife Melania for “proudly” posing in the nude – and for his past support of “gay marriage and funding Planned Parenthood with taxpayer money”.
The endorsement drew jeers, however, from an evangelical leader and president of the Florida Family Policy Council.
That was quickly cut into a 60-second radio ad.
Among some evangelicals, the endorsement could give Trump an advantage over Cruz, Johnnie Moore, the former senior vice president of Liberty University, told CNN on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, Falwell – the leader of one of the largest evangelical universities in the world and son of famed televangelist Jerry Falwell, founder of the “Moral Majority” – officially backed the controversial billionaire real-estate mogul for president.