Trump claims he leads Christianity
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The gist
US President Trump told a Kansas rally a pastor said he would lead Christianity into a time nobody else could.
The pastor, Robert Jeffress, confirmed to HuffPost he was the one Trump meant.
Background
Donald Trump is the US President, speaking at a rally in Park City, Kansas, for Sen. Roger Marshall ahead of the midterm elections. Robert Jeffress, who leads the 14,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas and has been a vocal Trump supporter since 2016, confirmed to HuffPost that he is the pastor Trump was paraphrasing — a Fox News interview he gave in 2015. Trump has told versions of the story before, including to Tucker Carlson in 2024, and has repeatedly asserted during his second term that there is a 'great renewal of Christianity' under his leadership; last month the White House published a list of 250 reasons he was the most 'pro-faith' president in US history.
How it unfolded
- 2015Robert Jeffress gave a Fox News interview that Trump was paraphrasing at the rally, according to Jeffress.
- 2016Jeffress has been a very vocal Trump supporter since 2016.
- 2024Trump told Tucker Carlson a pastor had said of him, 'Trump may not be the best Christian of all, but he's the only one gonna take us to the promised land.'
- 2025Trump attended a service at St. John's Church to begin Inauguration Day in 2025.
- Oct 19, 2026At a campaign rally for Sen. Roger Marshall in Park City, Kansas, Trump claimed a pastor once told him he'd 'lead us to a period of time in Christianity that nobody else can do.'
- Oct 20, 2026HuffPost published its report, including Jeffress confirming he is the pastor Trump referenced.
- Oct 21, 2026Premier Christian News and CNN published reports on the remarks.
Who’s saying what
- Trump
- Trump said he has 'the all-time, in history, Christian vote' and knows more about it than anybody, and that the pastor 'turned out to be right.'
- Jeffress
- Jeffress said Trump has been 'especially more Christian faith-friendly than any president,' including George W. Bush, and 'changed the entire spiritual environment of the nation.'
- Caution
- Trump was widely mocked for butchering the pronunciation of the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17, and he acknowledged he might not be an expert in Christian theology.