Franklin Graham says Trump has been raised up by God, urges loyalty in midterms

Esther Frances, The Charlotte Observer on Mar 26, 2026

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Evangelist Franklin Graham said conservatives nationwide must unite ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to elect candidates who share the same values as President Donald Trump.

During a speech Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas, Graham noted that Trump will not be on the ballot in November, “but his policies are.”

“We’ll only have one chance at this,” he said. “We’ll never get another president like Donald Trump. Never.”

Graham leads Samaritan’s Purse, a faith-based global aid organization, and serves as the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which honors his father.

Franklin Graham called for CPAC attendees to be a united front against the “Democrat socialist agenda,” which includes abortion and transgender rights policies. He said the agenda was “birthed in Hell” and stands against God’s word. Graham has received public backlash in the past for anti-LGBTQ+ views.

Graham also praised Trump’s efforts in Iran. He said mainstream media outlets were trying to “plant seeds of doubt” in Trump’s political base by reporting that his own base is unhappy with the military operations there.

Media outlets like CNN and AP News have reported that the war in Iran has made some longtime Trump loyalists unhappy.

Graham compared Trump’s efforts to “protect Israel and the Jewish people from, what I believe, was the possibility of nuclear annhiliation by the radical Islamic regime” to Esther, the religious figure who is believed to have saved the Jewish people from persecution in Persia after being raised up by God.

“I believe God has raised him up for a time such as this, like Queen Esther,” Graham said.

Graham also mentioned Trump’s capture of Venezuela’s former President Nicholas Maduro and appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court.