Tucker Carlson, Franklin Graham credit God with Trump's survival: 'God is among us'
Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson and evangelist Franklin Graham credited God with Trump's narrow escape from death in their speeches during the final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
Carlson opened his speech by saying that the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend has left both Trump and the nation profoundly changed.
"The more I watched it, the more it struck me that everything was different after that moment — everything," Carlson said, referring to the footage of the shooting. "This convention is different, the nation is different, the world is different, Donald Trump is different. When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his hand up, I thought at that moment, 'That was a transformation.' This was no longer a man."
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Tucker Carlson knocked it out of the park with his speech at the RNC. Phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/RTU7fc8s1Q
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 19, 2024
"I think it was divine intervention, but the effect that it had on Donald Trump — he was no longer just a political party's nominee, or a former president, or a future president," he continued. "This was the leader of a nation."
Carlson, who ultimately moved from his longtime home of Washington, D.C., in 2020, also recounted how political violence struck his own family when members of Antifa attacked his home in 2018 when his wife was alone.
Remembering how Trump called his wife to express solidarity and offer to stand guard outside their house after the incident, Carlson ended his speech on a note of hope.
"I'll never forget this as long as I live: he says, 'You know, there's a lot of hate out there.' And [my wife] said, 'No, there is Mr. President.' And then he says, 'But there's a lot of love.' There's a lot of love, and we are seeing that love. I don't think it's human love," Carlson said.
"And I'll just stop with this: I'm not always convinced that I'm on the right side. I've been on the wrong side many times. You'll never hear me say, 'I'm on God's side,' or 'God's with me,' or even, 'I'm with God.' I want to be; not sure I am. But I will say this unequivocally and conclusively: God is among us right now, and I think that's enough."
Graham echoed Carlson's idea that Trump's brush with death was an act of God during his speech immediately before Trump took the stage.
"President Trump had a near-death experience, no question," Graham said. "But God spared his life. When we go through those experiences, it changes us. They can cause us to examine our lives and to reevaluate our priorities, as you should. When President Trump rose from that platform, he rose with his fists raised in strength, showing America his unshakable resolve to fight for them and this nation."
It was an honor to be asked to come as a private citizen, say a few words, and pray this evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Republican National Convention. I prayed that we would come together and trust in God for our nation’s future. Watch… and #PRAY for our nation. pic.twitter.com/hDjNPUQaT2
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) July 19, 2024
Why God would spare Trump's life while allowing 50-year-old volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore to die was a question Graham said he could not answer, but he used the tragedy as an opportunity to share the Gospel.
"One thing I do know is that God loves us and He wants us to be with Him in Heaven one day, and that's through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ," he said.
Graham later went on to note how Trump fought for religious liberty around the world and pressured Turkey to release Andrew Brunson, an American pastor and missionary who was unjustly imprisoned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for two years after being accused of being involved in a failed coup attempt in 2016.
"When American citizen and pastor Andrew Brunson was being held in a Turkish jail on false accusations, President Trump demanded that he be released and he applied economic pressure and sanctions until they did that," he said.
Following his release in 2018, Brunson prayed over Trump in the Oval Office and asked that he would be given "supernatural wisdom."
"May this experience drive him closer to God," Brunson told The Christian Post regarding the assassination attempt against Trump.
Graham echoed Brunson's prayer during his invocation.
"This evening, our nation is in trouble," Graham prayed. "We're divided politically, racially, economically, with millions of people seeking refuge and hope in our dry and thirsty land. You're the only one who can fix the complexity of the problems that we face today. We pray for President Trump, that you would give him wisdom, strength, and a clear vision for the future of this nation, and the task that is at hand continue to protect him from his enemies."
During his speech accepting the GOP nomination, a somber Trump also attributed his survival to divine providence and noted that he "was not supposed to be here tonight," and that God had saved him.
"In watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment," Trump said during his speech, adding that "it probably was."
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
