A pastor closely linked to Donald Trump said he’s against sex with adult film stars but isn’t holding the alleged affair with Stormy Daniels against the president.
“Evangelicals still believe in the commandment: Thou shalt not have sex with a porn star,” Robert Jeffress told Fox News on Thursday. “However, whether this president violated that commandment or not is totally irrelevant to our support of him.”
Jeffress, who is an evangelical adviser to the president, said Trump’s personal behavior isn’t an issue.
“Evangelicals knew they weren’t voting for an altar boy when they voted for Donald Trump,” he said. “We supported him because of his policies and his strong leadership.”
In fact, when it comes to those behaviors, he suggested there’s pretty much nothing Trump can do to alienate him as long as he delivers on those policies.
“I‘m his friend,” he said. “I will never walk away.”
Daniels was reportedly paid $130,000 just before the 2016 election to keep silent about an alleged 2006 affair with Trump. Now she is suing the president, claiming the agreement is invalid because he never signed it.
Representatives of Trump have denied the affair, as has Daniels via a written statement.
Jeffress, who has been a guest in the Trump White House, has a history of inflammatory comments. Last year, he said NFL players who kneel to protest racial injustice should “be thanking God” they haven’t been “shot in the head.” He also said Trump has God’s support if he wants to “take out” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He’s also directed intolerant rants against gays, Muslims, Catholics, Mormons and more.
He is the head pastor of the First Baptist Dallas megachurch.
See the full discussion in the clip above.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated the alleged affair between Trump and Daniels occurred in 2016. It allegedly occurred in 2006.