10 Reactions to Trump's Evangelical White House Dinner
7. Robert Jeffress
Jeffress, a Dallas megachurch pastor who was one of the earliest evangelical leaders to back Trump as a presidential nominee, has made several media appearances in the days following the dinner to defend the event and the president's agenda.
In a statement sent to Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody Tuesday night, Jeffress gave his defense of Trump's remarks about the left wanting to overturn his administration's political gains for social conservatives "quickly and violently."
"I believe the president was speaking metaphorically when he invoked the term 'violence' to speak of the consequences of Democrats gaining control of the House," Jeffress said. "He was simply describing how quickly his policies that evangelicals and other conservatives have so enthusiastically supported could be undone with a Democrat Congress."
Jeffress added that following the president's remarks, he got up and told the crowd about the importance of the midterm elections this November. Jeffress stressed to the evangelicals in the room that if Democrats win the House, they will do one of two things.
Jeffress told fellow evangelical leaders that Democrats would either try to impeach the president or "paralyze him while he remains in office" if they take control of the House.
"Neither of those actions is acceptable to those of us here tonight,'" Jeffress told the crowd.
