A granddaughter of Charlotte-born evangelist Billy Graham blessed Donald Trump in an op-ed in Newsweek, calling him a megalomaniac and reiterating her support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“As someone who enjoyed the privilege of growing up around the respected pastor Dr. Billy Graham – or as we grandchildren knew him, ‘Daddy Bill’ – I recognize in former President Donald Trump very little of the Christian faith that inspired my life. Jerushah Duford wrote on Wednesday.
“Trump’s words and actions are fundamentally incompatible with evangelical principles,” Duford said.
Duford is one of 19 grandchildren of Billy and Ruth Graham. Her mother is Virginia Graham Tchividjian, Graham’s eldest daughter.
On August 14, Duford joined 18 other speakers on a Zoom call hosted by Evangelicals for Harris, McClatchy reported at the time.
“To me, voting for Kamala is so much bigger than policy,” Duford said in a pre-recorded video shown during the call. “It is a vote against another four years of faith leaders justifying the actions of a man who is destroying the message Jesus came to spread.”
Duford made no mention in Wednesday’s op-ed about the alignment of a prominent member of her family with Trump — Billy and Ruth Graham’s eldest son, Franklin.
Franklin Graham is president and CEO of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Boone-based international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse.
Graham last appeared with Trump in Concord on Wednesday. On Twitter, now known as
“I told the crowd that rallies and positive polls will not win this election – only God can do that,” Graham said on X. “God is the only hope for Donald Trump and He is the only hope for our nation. Will you take a moment tonight to join me in praying for President Trump, for this nation and for this election?”
Graham has also criticized a pro-Harris political group’s anti-Trump ad that used Billy Graham’s images and words.
In July, Trump thanked Franklin Graham for being present at Trump’s acceptance of his party’s third nomination for president.
“He is an outstanding man,” Trump said, drawing applause at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Trump joked during the event about Graham’s letter urging him to stop swearing at his political rallies.
“I think Franklin has been fantastic,” Trump told the crowd. “And I’m trying, I’m working so hard to keep his note to me.”
I was asked to speak and lead the prayer tonight in Concord, North Carolina, at an event with President Donald J. Trump, Dr. Ben Carson and other faith leaders. I told the crowd that rallies and positive polls will not win this election – only God can do that. God is the only hope for… pic.twitter.com/QEC2jcIuut
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 22, 2024
