One of America’s most high-profile Evangelicals has sparked a backlash by suggesting Pope Leo XIV should meet with Donald Trump to thank him for advancing religious freedom.
Franklin Graham, the son of the famed evangelist Billy Graham, also took to social media on Thursday to defend Trump’s controversial post depicting himself as a Christ-like figure—and Trump’s bizarre explanation that he thought the image portrayed him as “a doctor.”
“I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate,” Graham wrote.
“I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that this was not at all what he thought the AI-generated image was representing—he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post.”
The intervention comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the Vatican escalated. Trump has repeatedly attacked the American-born pope, calling him “weak on crime” and accusing him of catering to the “radical left,” while also claiming the pope’s election was tied to U.S. political dynamics.
The pope, in turn, responded that he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war and what he has described as a “delusion of omnipotence” driving global conflict.
But Graham suggested on Thursday that the pair should set up a meeting so that Pope Leo could express his gratitude to Trump for everything he’s done to advance religious liberty.
“I’m not a Catholic, I’m an evangelical, but I appreciate how President Trump has defended religious freedom for people of all faiths, including millions of evangelicals and Catholics in the U.S. and around the world,” he said.
“He is the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime, and he doesn’t shy away from it. I would hope that the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point, and that the Pope would have the opportunity to thank the President for his efforts to protect religious liberty for Catholics and people of all faiths.”
The comments—which were made a day after Trump canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic charities in Miami—prompted an immediate backlash.
Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene said Graham was “making excuses for Trump posting himself as Jesus is one of the worst things I’ve seen.”
“Franklin Graham of all people, who is frequently at the WH (White House) and with Trump, should be leading Trump to be a Christian, NOT telling other Christians that Trump did nothing wrong when he committed blasphemy,” she wrote.
Christopher Hale, who used to do Catholic outreach for the Obama administration and now runs a Substack called Letters for Leo, said that Graham’s famed father “would be so upset at the smugness of his son telling the pope to clap for Donald Trump.”
And Catholic writer Christine Niles added: “Trump gaslit us about the “doctor” bit, and here you are rationalizing and dismissing it. Are you his spiritual leader, or his lackey?”
Graham’s defense underscores his long-standing alignment with Trump. He has been one of Trump’s most loyal religious allies, frequently offering public support and mobilizing evangelical voters during both of Trump’s presidential campaigns.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last month, he also urged MAGA world to end their infighting and rally around the president and the GOP at the next midterm elections.
“I love Donald Trump,” Graham told the crowd. “Is he perfect? No. But I love that guy. I love him. And we’ll never get another president like Donald Trump. That’s why we need to do everything we can to get him re-elected.”
But Trump has faced a growing backlash over his war with the pope and his social media postings.
In another provocative post on Wednesday, the president put up an image of himself in front of a microphone with Jesus’s arms draped around him and an American flag in the background.
“The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” the president wrote.
Graham agreed, writing on X: “I like the fact that this is a picture of Jesus whispering in his ear, or at least His hand on his shoulder, guiding him. We all need that—we all need to be listening to Jesus."
“Again, I think there is an attempt to spin this into something that it isn’t,” he added.
“Remember, President Trump didn’t draw this, he didn’t create it, he reposted it on his social media because he thought it was nice—I would have to agree.”
