Appearing Sunday on Fox News Sunday,
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump touted the
endorsements of two pastors opposed to LGBT rights.
When asked by host Chris Wallace why he
thinks he's doing so well with evangelicals, Trump credited the
support he's received from Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Robert Jeffress.
“When you have Jerry Falwell, Jr.
endorse me, that was a very big turning point,” Trump said. “I
went to Liberty University, gave a speech. We set the all-time
record for attendance. And I don't know, I can just tell you,
they're something very special.”
“But I think it's also, it's the
support of Jerry and Robert, you know Robert Jeffress, Pastor
Jeffress, was – has been tremendous. And so have many other
pastors. I mean, we've had tremendous support from ministers,
pastors and from Christians generally and evangelicals.”
Falwell runs Liberty University, which
forbids openly gay students from attending. He has also condemned
the Democratic Party's support for LGBT rights.
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the
influential First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, has condemned the
Supreme Court's June finding that gay and lesbian couples have a
constitutional right to marry. In 2013, he
compared gay sex to plugging a TV into the wrong outlet.
Wallace also asked Trump whether he was
saying in previous interviews that it was time for marriage equality
opponents to move on.
“No,” Trump answered. “If I'm
elected, I would be very strong on putting certain judges on the
bench that I think maybe could change things.”
“I don't like the way they ruled. I
disagree with the Supreme Court from the standpoint they should have
given the state – it should be a states' rights issue. And that's
the way it should have been ruled on, Chris, not the way they did
it.”
“This is a very surprising ruling,”
he added. “And I can see changes coming down the line, frankly.
But I would have much preferred that they ruled at a state level and
allowed the states to make those rulings themselves.”
“[A]re you saying that if you become
president, you might try to appoint justices to overrule the decision
on same-sex marriage?” Wallace asked.
“I would strongly consider that,
yes,” Trump answered.