Jerry Falwell Jr. believes that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, can do for America what Winston Churchill did for the United Kingdom. In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, the son of legendary Southern Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell, urges the country to support Mr. Trump or “suffer dire consequences.” Here is why the president of Liberty University thinks the controversial business mogul is what the nation needs at the moment, he writes:
“We are at a crossroads where our first priority must be saving our nation. We need a leader with qualities that resemble those of Winston Churchill, and I believe that leader is Donald Trump. As Churchill did, Trump possesses the resolve to put his country first and to never give up in a world that is increasingly hostile to our values.”
The 54-year-old academic administrator also added:
“Despite our differences, Americans from all walks of life must unite behind Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence or suffer dire consequences. If Clinton appoints the next few Supreme Court justices, not only will the Second Amendment right to bear arms be effectively lost, but also activist judges will rewrite our Constitution in ways that would make it unrecognizable to our founders.”
Trump was very pleased with this assessment and linked to the op-ed on social media. Critics found the Trump and Churchill comparison to be tenuous at best since America is not currently facing a threat similar to the existential one the former British prime minister had to handle. Nazi Germany was a problem of epic proportion. Additionally, Churchill was a leader with a history of service to his country, who rose to the occasion, while Trump has never held any position in government.
For all his qualities, Trump represents a gamble on the future with no guarantee of success. His supporters would be well-advised to stop comparing him to great leaders like Ronald Reagan and Churchill, who were all involved in politics before running their countries.
