Jerry Falwell Jr Defends Trump: ‘He Does Not Have a Racist Bone in His Body’ (Video)

“He’s substance over form,” Liberty University president says on ABC’s “This Week”

| August 20, 2017 @ 7:32 AM Last Updated: August 20, 2017 @ 9:29 AM
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Jerry Falwell Jr., a leading evangelical Christian leader and president of Liberty University, defended President Donald Trump and his response to last weekend’s deadly rally of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“He doesn’t say what’s politically correct, he says what’s in his heart, what he believes in his heart and sometimes that gets him into trouble,” Falwell told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “He does not have a racist bone in his body — I know him well.”

Falwell also praised Trump, whom he had endorsed in his presidential campaign, as “something we haven’t had in national leadership in a long time: He’s substance over form.”

Also Read: Katie Couric Releases Footage of Charlottesville Rally Violence: 'It Breaks My Heart' (Video)

Raddatz noted that Falwell was one of the few prominent Trump supporters — or members of his administration — willing to defend the president publicly over his handling of Charlottesville.

“When we asked the White House for an official who could appear on this program today to speak on behalf of the president, they pointed us to … Jerry Falwell Jr.,” Raddatz said.

Also Read: Here's Everyone Who Dumped Trump This Week (Photos)

Falwell tried to sidestep criticism of Trump’s statement on Tuesday that there were “fine people” among the neo-Nazis, arguing that the president “has inside information that I don’t have.”

The evangelical leader also said Trump “left the door open” to calling the killing of counter-protester Heather Heyer “domestic terrorism” — a term that the president was reluctant to use to describe the violence in Charlottesville.

Here's Everyone Who Dumped Trump This Week (Photos)

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From the manufacturing council to James Murdoch, Trump’s response to Charlottesville has severed ties

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