Rev. Franklin Graham opens up on Pres. Trump, his 'rebellious phase' & his father
No one had a better insight of Rev. Billy Graham than a son who grew up in the shadow of "America's Pastor." NBC Charlotte's Sarah French sits down with Rev. Franklin Graham.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- While most people knew Rev. Billy Graham as “America’s Pastor,” Rev. Franklin Graham knew him as a father. No one had a better insight of the famed evangelist than Rev. Franklin Graham, who is currently the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
NBC Charlotte anchor Sarah French sat down with Rev. Franklin Graham, as he opened up about President Donald Trump, overcoming a "rebellious phase" when he was younger and his final meeting with his father.
'He's our president'
Rev. Franklin Graham is not the one to shy away from his support of President Trump. He said the changes in the nation's tax code and President Trump's stances on rebuilding the U.S. military are both good for the country.
"For him to go talk to Kim Jong Un and try to work out a peace deal that is good for our country. It’s good for Asia. It’s good for everyone," Rev. Franklin Graham said. "He’s our president."
While Rev. Franklin Graham said he didn't get involved in President Trump's campaign, he said "the voters have voted, he’s the president so let’s do our best to work with him because if he succeeds all of us benefit."
Rev. Franklin Graham said President Trump "certainly deserves" the Nobel Peace Prize nomination from House Republicans because of his ability to work out a peace deal with North Korea.
"If he makes a peace deal with Kim Jong Un, I would say he certainly deserves it in my opinion," Rev. Graham said.
Overcoming a 'rebellious phase'
Rev. Franklin Graham told French he was a "headache" to both his father and his mother, Ruth, growing up.
"Getting kicked out of school, getting in fights at school, getting into trouble," said Rev. Franklin Graham, who is the fourth of the five Graham children. "They were so patient with me."
He recalled the time he got expelled from LeTourneau College in Texas. He said he dreaded the thought of having to come home after getting kicked out of the school.
"I knew daddy was very upset so when I drove back from Texas I drove very slow something that should’ve taken less than 20 hours I think to maybe two to three days," he said. "I was just dreading having to stand in front of him but I remember when I drove up to the front yard my father was standing there and he just put his arms around me and said, 'welcome home.'"
Rev. Franklin Graham said the return home changed his life.
"What I saw through my father's eyes is a little glimse I think the way our Lord in heaven looks at us," he said.
However, Rev. Franklin Graham was quick to say he received his fair share of whippings growing up.
"Were they disciplinarians? You better believe that," he said with a laugh. "If you ever disrespected either one of them, you did get in trouble."
Rev. Billy Graham has been known by his peers for giving a second chance. During the late evangelist's funeral, televangelist Jim Bakker told NBC Charlotte's Michelle Boudin about the time Rev. Billy Graham visited him in jail unannounced.
"Probably my lowest moment of that day," Bakker said, who was arrested in 1988 on fraud charges and was convicted in federal court in Charlotte. "He threw his arms around me and said 'Jim, I love you.'"
"That's the Billy Graham I know," he added.
Another popular story regarding Rev. Billy Graham's sense of forgiveness was the fact that he was buried in a casket made by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La.
Last meeting with his father
Rev. Franklin Graham saw his father for the last time two days before he died in February. Rev. Franklin Graham remembered how his father had been quiet for the last year of his life.
"His mind is clear, he just didn't say much," Rev. Franklin Graham said of his late father, Rev. Billy Graham."
He recalled how Rev. Billy Graham's hand was shaking that day and the younger Graham offered to put a blanket around him to help him stay warm.
"In a few minutes, he quit shaking and then he started a light snore so I knew he was asleep," Rev. Franklin Graham said. "So I just said goodbye and prayed with him and left the house and that was the last time I saw him."
"He didn't struggle at the end," Rev. Franklin Graham said. "He woke up the day he went to heaven."
Rev. Franklin Graham said his father wanted to honor the Lord with all his life.
"My father would not want people to give him praise because it was Jesus Christ," Rev. Franklin Graham said. "He would want people to say, 'look what God did and look how God used just a boy from the farm and God can do that with any life that’s willing to trust him, to obey him and to believe him.'"
In May, Rev. Franklin Graham published a book called Through My Father's Eyes, which goes in detail of Rev. Billy Graham's legacy.
"I know there's been a lot of biographies and those types of books about my father," Rev. Franklin Graham said. "But I wanted something that would be from me... lessons from watching him, working with him and just observing."
Those interested in the book can click here for more information