An evangelical Christian group that supports Kamala Harris‘ bid for the presidency has released a campaign ad implying Donald Trump is a “false prophet.”
A group called “Evangelicals for Harris” is running commercials across social media in a campaign highlighting the Bible verse warning that “many false prophets have gone into the world.”
Their adverts target evangelical Christians, one of Trump’s key demographics, that was crucial to him when he won the 2016 election. Trump continues to enjoy the support of many evangelicals in the Make American Great Again (MAGA) movement as he battles Democrat Harris ahead of the November election. Nevertheless, a Newsweek analysis of campaign contributions suggests MAGA pastors are not donating to his 2024 run, while thousands signed a Christian petition vowing not to vote for him, suggesting he may be losing support among a key base.
Evangelicals for Trump have released another advertisement denigrating the former president on X (formerly Twitter).
The 35-second ad begins in silence with a white background and dark text saying: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.”
The words disappear as a string of clips follow, which feature footage of various comments made by Trump over the years.
Our second ad.
It is understood best after reading all of 1 John 4 (which is worth doing with or without our ad!).
“Test the spirits to see if they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world…this is how we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of… pic.twitter.com/SI54xD9HyL
— Evangelicals For Harris (@Evangels4Harris) August 19, 2024
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” Trump says during a speech. “It’s, like, incredible.”
Another clip shows him telling an interviewer: “If I happen to be president, and I see somebody doing well and beating me very badly, I say, ‘Go down and indict them.'”
The third piece of footage has Trump telling a crowd: “I alone can fix it,” while the final clip sees him addressing a rally audience to say: “They’re poisoning the blood of our country, that’s what they’ve done.”
The white background then reappears on screen, with dark text saying: “Read 1 John 4. Choose Christ’s Love. Let Our Witness Be Good News.”
A note at the bottom of the screen reads: “Paid for by Evangelicals for Harris. Not authorised by any candidate or candidate committee.”
The organization took to X to share the ad with its 22,000 followers on the social media platform. It was captioned: “Our second ad. It is understood best after reading all of 1 John 4 (which is worth doing with or without our ad!).
“Test the spirits to see if they are from God, for many false prophets have gone into the world…this is how we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood, let us love one another for love comes from God. There is no fear in love but perfect love drives out fear. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God’ but hates his brother, he is a liar. Everyone who believes that Jesus is Lord and loves the Father must love his children as well.”
Evangelicals for Harris describes itself on X as: “Faithful, compassionate evangelicals exercising our God-given citizenship by voting for someone who better reflects Christian values.”
The ad, which has so far been viewed more than 53,000 times, drew a variety of responses from viewers online.
One X user wrote: “You are doing a terrific job. I live in the bible belt, and while I am not an Evangelical, this is what I believed Evangelical Christianity to be. The concept has been defiled recently and it warms my heart to see this positive messaging. Bless you.”
Another added: “Great ad. No doubt there are so many examples of Trump saying ungodly things. To me the greatest warning signs about Trump are (in no particular order): 1. His constant lies. Satan is the father of lies. 2. His always claiming himself as the savior to all problems. He literally sets himself up as a false God. 3. His total self centeredness. He literally only cares about himself. 4. His hateful speech. Contrast the way Trump speaks with the way Jesus spoke. It’s crystal clear that Trump fits the definition of a false prophet.”
But some felt the evangelical movement should have done more to combat Trump when he first ran for office.
“I wished you had started speaking up eight years ago, or at least when it became clear Trump was winning over the gullible evangelicals with his blasphemy,” one X user told Evangelicals for Harris. “This is a major reason why a lot of us detest organized religion.”
“Finally,” another X user said, after viewing the ad. “Better late than never, I suppose, but all this was true in 2020 and 2016.”
The ad drew negative responses too.
One commentator said: “This is so ridiculous. Trump never claimed to be a Prophet. He never claimed to speak for God. He never claimed to be the voice of God. You are misusing and thus abusing scripture.”
Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader and the son of influential pastor Billy Graham, is a fervent Trump supporter and previously blasted the Evangelicals for Harris organization after their first ad used a clip of his father.
That commercial showed Billy Graham asking a congregation if they had been to the Cross to apologize for their sins. It was contrasted with a clip of Trump being quizzed about whether he had ever asked God for forgiveness, to which Trump famously replied: “That’s a tough question. I’m not sure I have…I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”
Billy Graham’s furious son blasted Evangelicals for Harris at the time, saying: “The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image. They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President @realDonaldTrump in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”
Newsweek has reached out by email to Evangelicals for Harris and representatives for Donald Trump seeking comment.
