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As part of their efforts, “Evangelicals for Harris” used clips of Billy Graham preaching in their political ads, mixing the footage with out-of-context clips of Trump. One such ad includes a clip of Billy Graham reading from the Bible, saying, “But you must realize that in the last days, the times will be full of danger. Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money.” This is followed by a clip of Trump saying, “My whole life I’ve been greedy, greedy, greedy.”
The ad is designed to contrast Graham’s biblical warning with Trump’s own words, attempting to sway evangelicals who may be uncomfortable with Trump’s brash persona. However, the use of Billy Graham’s footage has caused an uproar among evangelicals, especially Franklin Graham.
Reverend Franklin Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), did not hold back in his response to the ad. He took to social media to express his disgust over the exploitation of his late father’s image to promote Harris, whom he described as an “anti-Christian candidate.”
“The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris,” Graham wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President [Donald Trump] in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”
Franklin Graham, along with attorneys representing the BGEA, has demanded that the Harris campaign immediately cease using the copyrighted footage. Legal action is being considered, with the BGEA informing Newsweek that it “will continue taking appropriate steps to address the matter.”
Despite the threat of legal action, Evangelicals for Harris is standing firm in its decision to use the footage. In a statement responding to the criticism, the group said, “Franklin is scared of our ads because we do not tell people what to do or think. We merely hold Trump’s own words up to the light of Scripture, the necessity of repentance, and Biblical warnings against leaders exactly like Trump.”
While the group defends its use of Billy Graham’s image, many evangelicals see this as a blatant attempt to distort Graham’s legacy to fit a political agenda. Richard Flory, Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, criticized the campaign’s strategy, calling it “a political marketing technique to sway evangelical voters, but they are trying to put lipstick on the pig of evangelical political efforts.”
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Flory added that the Harris campaign’s tactics are unlikely to have much impact on the deeply conservative evangelical base. “So, if they are using Billy Graham as an exemplar of their claim that true Christian values are represented in Democratic policies and principles, they are choosing the wrong person,” Flory said.
Kamala Harris’ backers appear willing to do whatever it takes to push her into the White House, even if that means using the image of one of America’s most respected Christian figures to try to win over a voter base traditionally hostile to the Democratic Party. As the controversy unfolds, it remains to be seen whether this political gamble will pay off, or if it will further galvanize evangelical voters in their support for Trump and the Republican Party.
With the evangelical vote still a crucial factor in any election, the Harris campaign’s tactics will continue to be a hot topic of debate as Election Day approaches.
