Liberty University students denounce Donald Trump, Jerry Falwell Jr defends him again
As the fallout from last week’s viral video of Donald Trump discussing women with Billy Bush continues to play out, Jerry Falwell Jr. continues to make the rounds defending the candidate. Falwell appeared on Tuesday’s broadcast of Erin Burnett OutFront, CNN host Erin Burnett discussed the breaking New York Times story more inappropriate behavior (a video now recanted), Falwell maligned scripture and Christians saying “…he’d prefer to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar” and that “we aren’t electing a pastor.”
“I’m going vote for Trump because i believe he’s the best qualified to be President of the United States,” Falwell said. “And I’m not going to say anything to besmirch the character of any of these women.”
He also pointed out that he believes that Trump “is a changed man.” Check out the video below.
Meanwhile Liberty University students are speaking out against Trump AND Falwell.
photo/ donkeyhotey
The students at Liberty University wrote that they felt compelled to speak out in light of Falwell’s steadfast support for Trump even after the candidate’s comments about women and sexual assault.
“Because our president has led the world to believe that Liberty University supports Donald Trump, we students must take it upon ourselves to make clear that Donald Trump is absolutely opposed to what we believe, and does not have our support,” the Liberty students wrote. “We are not proclaiming our opposition to Donald Trump out of bitterness, but out of a desire to regain the integrity of our school.”
Falwell wrote a statement criticizing the student effort against Trump.
“I am proud of these few students for speaking their minds but I’m afraid the statement is incoherent and false,” Falwell wrote. “I am not ‘touring the country’ or associating Liberty University with any candidate. I am only fulfilling my obligation as a citizen to ‘render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s’ by expressing my personal opinion about who I believe is best suited to lead our nation in a time of crisis. This student statement seems to ignore the teachings of Jesus not to judge others but they are young and still learning.”
The Trump-Falwell connection has already been widely criticized with Public affairs executive Mark DeMoss resigning early this year from the school’s board following the endorsement and union between Falwell and the GOP nominee.
Sounding more and more like a Trump operative, Falwell blamed establishment Republicans at first during interviews on Sunday and Monday.
“I think this whole videotape thing was planned, I think it was timed, I think it might have even been a conspiracy among the establishment Republicans who’ve known about it for weeks and who tried to time it to do the maximum damage to Donald Trump,” Falwell told reporter Rita Cosby on her WABC Radio in New York City podcast after Sunday night’s debate.
Falwell denounced the comments made on the tape, made qualifying remarks.
“There was nothing defensible,” Falwell told Cosby. “It was completely out of order, it’s not something I’m going to defend . . . it was reprehensible. We’re all sinners, every one of us. We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t. We’re never going to have a perfect candidate unless Jesus Christ is on the ballot,” he said. “I’ve got a wife and a daughter, and nobody wants to hear their women talked about in that manner.”
Check out this video at the bottom.
photo/ Mary Pahlke via pixabay
