Billy Graham’s granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch nominated as Trump's religious freedom ambassador

President Donald Trump has nominated Cissie Graham Lynch to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, seeking to fill a key diplomatic post that has lacked a Senate-confirmed ambassador since the beginning of his second term.

The White House announced Monday that Trump had sent Jane Lynch’s nomination to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Lynch, better known as Cissie Graham Lynch, is the daughter of Samaritan’s Purse CEO Franklin Graham and granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham.

Lynch's name was among a list the White House sent to the Senate on Monday. 

In a post on X Tuesday, Lynch acknowledged the nomination, calling the opportunity a “great honor and privilege.”

“If confirmed by the Senate, please pray that I would serve with excellence and make the most of every opportunity to protect our most precious and fundamental right — and one that far too many people around the world still live without — freedom of religion,” she wrote.

Franklin Graham also expressed support for his daughter’s nomination in a separate X post on Tuesday. 

“Cissie is uniquely qualified for this — she has traveled the world and been a student of this issue for many years,” Graham wrote. “She has a broad worldview and knowledge of the issues facing religious freedom today.”

“If confirmed by the Senate, she will bring a passion for defending religious freedom to this office,” he added. “I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I ask you to pray that God would give her wisdom and strength.”

The nomination comes after the Trump administration’s previous nominee for the position, former Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., wasn't confirmed by the Senate before the end of 2025. The Senate returned Walker’s nomination to Trump on Jan. 3.

Walker was subsequently appointed to a different position as the State Department’s principal adviser for global religious freedom, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom heads the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom and serves as a principal adviser to the president and secretary of state on religious freedom abroad. The position was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The Religious Freedom Institute praised Lynch’s nomination in a statement Monday, emphasizing the role the ambassador can play in U.S. foreign policy.

“Our world is afflicted by an unprecedented scourge of religious persecution today,” RFI President David Trimble said.

“We at RFI understand the vital role the International Religious Freedom Ambassador can and should play in U.S. foreign policy, and we stand ready to support Jane Lynch as she prepares, with the Senate’s approval, to assume the responsibilities of America’s chief diplomat for religious freedom,” Trimble added. “The Senate should enter into the forthcoming confirmation process for Ms. Lynch’s nomination with due diligence and expediency.” 

RFI identified China, Nigeria, Syria and Nicaragua as some of the major countries “plagued by religious repression, discrimination and violence” where Lynch must focus “U.S. efforts to advance this fundamental human right.” 

While Lynch is best known as a member of the Graham family and works with Samaritan’s Purse as well as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, she has emerged as an author and a speaker in her own right. She hosts a podcast called “Fearless” and has a book titled Stand Steady: Fearless Faith in a Compromising Culture, set to be released next month. Lynch also spoke at the Rededicate 250 prayer event commemorating the U.S.’ 250th anniversary and the 2020 Republican National Convention. 

Lynch’s nomination must be approved by the U.S. Senate before she can take office. The U.S. Senate currently consists of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, meaning that Lynch can secure the position even if she only receives support from Republican senators. 

Although the issue of international religious freedom is generally not seen as a partisan topic like most public policy matters, the confirmation of former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (who also served in the U.S. Senate) as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious Freedom during Trump’s first term required a tie-breaking vote from then-Vice President Mike Pence, as Brownback received no support from Democratic senators in the closely divided U.S. Senate. 

By contrast, the nomination of Rashad Hussain to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom during the Biden administration received wide bipartisan support. The Senate confirmed Hussain in an 85-5 vote for the diplomatic post, with only five Republicans voting against his nomination.