RNS | Franklin Graham ‘burdened’ to pray for a president he says is under attack

(RNS) — Evangelist Franklin Graham was preaching in Manchester, N.H., last week when he said God put a “burden on his heart” to pray for President Trump, who he thinks is facing increasing pressure from his opponents.

Three days later, Graham, heir to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a vocal defender of the president, posted a call for a “special day of prayer for the president” on Sunday (June 2) asking God to “protect, strengthen, embolden, and direct him.”

Some 250 pastors and leaders of the religious right have responded to Graham’s call, among them a who’s who of Trump’s evangelical base, all pledging to use Sunday morning as an occasion to bless the president.