Donald Trump delivered a more muscular speech at his second inaugural on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, than at his first in 2017. Trump admitted later that he left some of his speech on the cutting room floor, but what he left in the speech was enough to sear the skin of his political opponents who were forced to listen to it all inside the Capitol Rotunda. However, a speech that took even more testicular fortitude to deliver was Franklin Graham's remarks and invocation.
One observer said that Trump's speech was not for the people in the room but for the people of America.
Graham's remarks, on the other hand, were meant for the people in the room. Those people were those who spent years trying to metaphorically beat Trump into submission. These were the people who spied on Trump, ordered a raid on his home, deprived him of his civil rights, tried to imprison him, break him, embarrass him, and bankrupt him.
It's no wonder that the crowd booed Barack Obama and the Clintons when they made their way through the Capitol.
Former Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama arrive for the Inauguration. pic.twitter.com/hDUhxTpZrg
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 20, 2025
And what Graham said was acid enough to remove the paint from the walls. Truth does that.
Whether the son of Billy Graham and founder of Samaritan's Purse meant to convey it, his unmistakable message was: God saw what you did there.
Related: Thank God
He came to the podium and addressed the hundreds in attendance by setting the tone.
Mr. President, the last four years, there are times I'm sure you thought it was pretty dark. But look at what God has done. We praise Him and give Him glory (spontaneous applause).
It was basically that these people tried to take you out but look at the way God saved you and redeemed your efforts.
His prayer began:
Let us pray.
Our Father and our God, thou has said, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
As the prophet Daniel prayed,
'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever.'
For wisdom and might there is,
He changes the times and the seasons.
He removes Kings.
He raises up Kings.
He gives wisdom of the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Our Father today, as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again,
we come to say thank you, oh Lord our God.
God took Joe out and installed Donald. Graham put special emphasis on "Our Father today, as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again, Thank you, oh Lord, our God."
I could swear that just a few weeks ago, praising Donald Trump was enough to get one canceled, jailed, or his humanitarian group ruined.
Graham went on to lecture those in attendance that God saved Trump's life even though these same people sought to ruin it. Indeed, their irresponsible acts nearly got him assassinated. The invocation of this evil should have been enough to silence them forever, but we know the left believes in no God. In fact, leftists believe that they are God.
Father, when Donald Trump's enemies thought he was down and out
You and You alone, saved his life
And raise him up in strength and power
By Your mighty hand
We pray for President Trump that you'll watch over, guide, direct him, give him your wisdom from Your throne on high
We ask that You would bless him.
And that our nation would be blessed through him.
We also ask that you would bless and protect Melania, his First Lady,
We thank you for the beauty, the warmth, and grace that she shows not only to this nation, but to the whole world
We thank you for Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance and his wife Usha and their young family
And then Graham went completely Old Testament on the group, invoking no less than Moses, Aaron, and Samuel to convey, if they hadn't gotten the message yet, that Trump was spared by divine help.
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Indeed, Aaron held up Moses's arms to keep him praying in dependence on God, just as Trump had been helped before and how Graham hoped Vance would do for the president over the next four years.
May he be a strength to President Trump, to stand beside him, to hold up his arms like Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the midst of battle
The prophet Samuel reminded the people 'It was You that brought them up from the land of Egypt' and he said now 'Stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord.'
So Father, we take this moment to stand still to remember the great things that You have done for our nation.
Thank You for the protection, the bounty, the freedoms, that we so enjoy.
We remember to keep our eyes fixed on You and may our hearts be inclined to Your voice.
We know that American can never be great again if we turn our backs on You.
We ask for Your help.
And we pray for all of this in the name of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Your Son, my Savior, and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Graham let these men and women who lied to destroy Trump know that the God who saved Trump from an assassin's bullet was with him now.
FRANKLIN GRAHAM DELIVERS SPEECH AND PRAYER
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 20, 2025
"Look at what God has done, we praise Him and give Him glory" @Franklin_Graham pic.twitter.com/010ZixOHzZ
Graham let them know that God is greater than anyone in that room, even Hillary, Joe, and Barry. Oh, and that He is watching them.
You may not agree with me about the gutsiness of this move, but I dare you to find another person who'd have to balls to give it.
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