Jerry Falwell Jr., president of evangelical Liberty University and early supporter of then-candidate Donald Trump, said in an interview with Fox News' Jeanine Pirro on Friday that evangelicals "have found their dream president."
The interview centered on how Trump was faring with evangelicals at his 100-day mark and pointed to the latest polling: Three-quarters of white evangelicals still back Trump, according to the most recent Pew Research findings, and that statistic is highest, at 80 percent, for those who attend church at least once a month. That's consistent with exit polling that found 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump.
When asked why evangelicals rated the president's performance so high, Falwell first pointed to Trump's Supreme Court appointment and attacks on ISIS, but then pivoted to Trump's domestic campaign promises.
" ... evangelicals didn't just vote on social issues this time, because the Republican establishment had lied to them over decades about those issues, and so instead, they went a different direction," Falwell said. "They were concerned about the borders, about bringing jobs back. I think they're just as thrilled about all those things — going after sanctuary cities, all those things."
Details on Trump's border wall have yet to be determined, as Congress is set to pass a spending bill soon, likely without funding for the wall. And a judge recently struck down the administration's executive order that would have pulled federal funding from so-called "sanctuary" cities.
Negatives for evangelicals, according to Falwell?
" ... I'll tell you what evangelicals are not happy about in the first 100 days. It's that moderate Republicans who I believe seem to be obstructing Donald Trump's agenda in Congress, and I think they're going to pay the price in 2018 if they don't stop. ... These moderates just make my blood boil."
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