Evangelicals for Harris spends over $1M on anti-Trump ad campaign featuring Billy Graham
The political action committee Evangelicals for Harris rolled out an over $1 million ad campaign Thursday that features footage of the late evangelist Billy Graham and suggests former President Donald Trump exhibits the character of evil men in the last days.
The ad, which will play out over the next three weeks in battleground states, features a sermon Graham preached from 2 Timothy 3:1-5, in which Paul describes the terrible nature of the last days and warns "men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money, full of big words."
The ad interspersed brief clips of Trump making comments that the PAC implied are indications he possesses the sinful characteristics of the End Times evildoers Paul was describing.
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— Evangelicals For Harris (@Evangels4Harris) September 26, 2024
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But you must realize that in the last days the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money, full of big words. They will be proud and abusive without any regard for their parents. They will… pic.twitter.com/4NMgvbILFc
After Graham reads about greed, the ad shows a clip of Trump joking about how he is "greedy, greedy, greedy" and "grabbed all the money I could get."
When Graham reads about Paul writing against men who are "proud and abusive," the ad then shows the famous clip of then-Fox News host Megyn Kelley asking Trump during a debate in 2015 about the derogatory comments he has made about women.
The ad suggests Trump is also "uncontrolled and violent," citing a speech when he said he wanted to punch someone in the face.
Trump's joke in 2019 that he was "the chosen one" regarding trade with China is evidence that he is "treacherous, reckless, and arrogant," the ad implies.
The ad then claimed Trump loves pleasure more than God by citing the leaked "Access Hollywood" tape that featured prominently in the waning weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, during which he said, "I just started kissing" beautiful women.
The ad ended by suggesting Trump maintains "the facade of religion" but that his life denies the truth, using a 2015 clip showing pollster Frank Luntz asking Trump if he had ever asked for God's forgiveness.
"I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't," Trump replied at the time, though he later backtracked.
The Christian Post has reached out to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assocation for comment.
The ad marks the second time the PAC has attacked Trump using footage from Billy Graham's sermons, prompting pushback from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association CEO Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son.
Franklin Graham, who has been an outspoken supporter of the former president's policies and has claimed there is a "demonic power" behind the attacks against him, asserted that Trump was the last presidential candidate his father voted for before he died in 2018 and suggested that attempts to imply his father would not support Trump are deliberately misleading.
"The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris," Graham said. "They even developed a political ad trying to use my father [Billy Graham's] image. They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don't know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President [Trump] in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father's views and opinions would not have changed."
The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image. They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and… pic.twitter.com/LZe3SEm9Al
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) August 14, 2024
Franklin Graham's niece Jerushah Duford is at odds with her uncle over Trump, recently suggesting during an "Evangelicals for Harris" Zoom call that Trump supporters are causing people to turn away from Christianity. She expressed support for his opponent in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Voting Kamala, for me, is so much greater than policies," Duford said. "It's a vote against another four years of faith leaders justifying the actions of a man who destroys the message Jesus came to spread, and that is why I get involved in politics."
Since his two recent assassination attempts, Trump has spoken more openly about God, claiming he thinks about Him more often and attributes his narrow escapes from death to divine providence.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday to pay his respects at the graves of the late evangelist and his wife. He mentioned how Graham's Gospel message cuts across class and racial divides.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
