me the tory me today is franklin graham, america's most prominent, evangelical, you also, of course, president of the martin's pass out of the billy graham evangelistic association. thank you for joining me. what does it mean to be a spiritual lead to, to present and what does that involve? well, you have to be very careful as to what you say and insert. i want to keep those conversations private. that's very important. i know your president and the student present boot and in this country, you know, says very difficult to forgive people that betray and i think is right for clergyman where we can betray the confidence of

president or someone that we're dealing with spiritually. and so my father was very careful and i tried to be careful to do you feel the burden of that responsibility or indeed sort of the power. you know, when you're speaking festival, if you've got such an incredible reach, you know, there are 90 to 100000000 evangelicals for i think in the u. s. at the moment your father himself spoke, i think in total 2 over 200000000 in 185 countries. i mean that is a huge responsibility. you have to be so careful with one's was because, you know, that could be real consequences. you do have to be very careful and and i don't think, i mean, i'm sure there many times i have failed. but we are, we strive to be careful. we realize that god has put us in this position and we don't take that lightly. god can also take us out of that position if he wants.

i'm on, i'm bastard, or the king of kings, and the lord of fords. and that's jesus christ. i put my faith in trust in him and i'll follow him. and i believe that when christ died on the cross, he died for the sins of mankind all sins. and if we repent and turn from those sins and put our faith and trust in him, god will forgive our sins and heal our hearts. and. and this is, this is the message that i want to share with a president or with a person on the street. i want everyone to know that god loves and cares for them. and that jesus christ as his son who came not to condemn the world, but to save the world back in 2015 as well. i know talking about hire are politically you did meet with florida person. if rumors that believed for 45 minutes, which is not the quick meet and greet, what impression did you have of the president like him very much? and i find him to be a person. if he says he's gonna do something,

that's what he does. and that's refreshing with a lot of political leaders don't do that. that's one thing i liked about president trunk. if he told he was going to do something, that's what he did. and so i think those 2 presidents have maybe a lot more in common than people realize they both were, i think, very direct, their honest, your president or president putin is going to do what he thinks his best for russia . president trump and did what he thought was best for the united states. and that's good. that's what presidents should do. but we need though to work together . i have dialogue together and cooperate together. if we don't, then we'll just get further further apart. and that's very dangerous. the relations between our 2 countries is the lowest. it's been maybe since the cold war. and i find this very troubling. it doesn't need to be this way. we have so much in common

with russia, with the russian people. and we need to find ways to work together. it doesn't mean that we have to agree on everything. but we need to be working together and talking together and listening to one another is so important on the question of trump actually. and of course, to, to present, and that relationship, is it fair to say that you had a bit of a hand in the 2 of them coming together in helsinki in 2018? i don't know. i don't think that necessarily had a hand and i encouraged the president trump every time i was with him to try to work with russia. the problem we had is the media turned on president wrong. they gave out false information on president trump accused russia interfering with elections and these types of things. and it just divided our country and made it almost possible impossible for

president trump to do anything. and that was very sad that that happened it because it's heard both countries and times of the way that you're saying how the u. s. act when you came in 2015. i think you were supposed in front of a map of russia, which nowadays counts as collusion. you are very brave man, but you also during that visit met with russian politicians at least one that i know is under us. sanctions did not have any repercussions. how was that received? i don't care. i mean, just because the united states versus the sanctions on somebody that doesn't mean they're guilty as, as they've decided to pick on a particular person. and i think that's probably wrong. i don't believe in the sanctions. i think the sanctions heard, i don't think the sanctions do anything. so make people more mad. and i look at sanctions that were put on other countries around the world and it's usually other

people that get hurt. the smaller people get hurt and i would, i would lift those sanctions unless get on the business. at the same time i do, i did read that you did criticize president trump for the way that he dealt with the media. how we kind of waged a war on it. if you take out the way that he dealt with it, do you think that the issue does remains that the media does have a problem with the way it reports nowadays in america? well, the president would the difference. well, president trump is a unique person. we've never had a president like him. and he's not a politician. and so he just says what he thinks. and as a result of that, he just said what he thought about the media. and, and i think that hurting, and i think he would say the same thing today. if he could turn the clock back, i'm not sure he would do that again like that because it was

just distracted his administration and i think hurt. it hurt his chances for reelection on the issue of reelection, since he raised it, do you think that will re run in 2024? no, i don't know he's, he's a very strong person and he is in very good health. and there's, as long as he has good healthy us, i think you'll run. but again, that's, he'll be 78 years older. so vital 17. and he's not in good health. what regarding the biden presidency? is it so far what you expected it would be by his version it's hard for me to say to say, i know president by knew him as a, as a senator. i have not been with him and also vice president. i have not seen him

since he's been president. i pray for him. i pray that god will give him strength and wisdom. he's it, he's, he's not in the best of health, but i believe that god can give him strength and that's my and i pray for in terms of the things that you've set as well in the past, in 2003. i think you voice support the invasion of iraq and this was something that you spoke to your community to push politicians about. do you still stand by that that was the right decision to do all these years on know i, i didn't, didn't, i don't support war. ok. i don't. and i don't, i don't believe in the, the invasion of iraq rock was not involved in the, the destruction of the twin towers in new york. that wasn't, didn't come from the rock. and there are many christians and iraq and many

wonderful people. and i personally think the innovation of iraq was a mistake. do you think it's why, what's happening now with putting out all the troops getting it's too late? well, i think not all the us troops are out of, out of iraq. there are special forces units that work there and also northern syria because now kayla is is still very much involved in those rural areas. and so i think we will need to be there, maybe for some time afghan, a stan, think most of our troops now are now gone. it was a very difficult place for russia. i'm not sure how long russia was involved. i think it was around 10 years or so. we've been there 20 years, and nothing has changed. didn't change when the russia left and says not want to change after the united states, please. and it's unfortunate that it is

the way it is. but as a very difficult part of the world was that something that president trump was quite decisive, that he knew that that's what he wanted to do. he campaigned, on the platform of no form was no more for an intervention. endless was was, was that something he knew he came to the white house, he thought that task and that's what he wanted to do. i think for present room when, when a dead soldier comes back to the united states, it comes into dover, air base, and delaware not far from washing. disney and the president would go down there and meet every body. there came back and meet the families of the fallen soldier, and that was very hard on him, very difficult. and he did not want war and he wanted peace. so he was an advocate for, i think peace. he wanted to ask honest,

and he didn't want to see america dragged into these wars. and so whether it's the right decision on the wrong decision that's i think that's he just did not want to be involved in it. when trump was elected in 2016, you said that this was called walk. old bold hand was in a if i'm not mistaken. why do you think that was, was trump the man that america needed in that time? i play so. and here's the reason why i believe the democratic party was against him . the republican party did not back him. he won the electric one the nominator open, but they did not supporting. and he campaigned an unorthodox manner. and i remember on election night, i talked to martin mike pence and of course he wasn't vice president time,

so i called him mike, i don't call him mike now upon mr. vice president. but i said, mike, if you all when and i make sure the president understands its god because they were expecting to lose. they were behind all the polls. and that night they won their election and i think it was god that, that pushed him over. and i think he was god's choice and guardsman for that moment . and so i'm thankful to god that we had the president for 4 years. i wish that he had had 4 more years. i think our relationships with, with this country would be completely different. i know the president trump want to reach out to president putin and began to work together. and that, that it didn't happen. what was your biggest, in your opinion,

the biggest shipment of the trump presidency or the thing that made you most happy about it? well, i think the judges that here pointed here, wanted very conservative judges to the federal bench those to the supreme court. i think we're, we're good choices. i think that will be his legacy or the judges. and that will affect my children and my grandchildren lives for years. da. com. and i think that's his biggest legacy and your biggest disappointment of the trump . yes. i don't. i don't know if i can say the biggest disappointment. no question. i think the way his president say ended was a disappointment. especially january 6th. i think for a disappointment, but will know history will judge whether the election was stolen or not.

there are about 100000000 americans. i believe there was something amiss in that election. and they, there feel very strong about it. so it may take time to sort that out. me the the

i will the from germany where a long study finds that the, the biomass of sly inside the weights of flying insects fell by 76 percent in the last 26 years. so it's just becoming much, much less common, which means all the jobs that they do are not being done anymore. and that, that is the real danger. and that's what's going to impact on order. talk a little bit about what today's america looks like. because from the outside, one reads a lot about how there's a crisis in america, there's a lot of tom. well,

there's a lot of division. and when i think about that, i often think that maybe it's because now people fail to agree what it means to be american. everyone has a different idea of what direction the country should be and what the values are. what does it mean for you to be in american freedom? the united states is, is a mixture of the whole world. many cities have large russian communities. and so it's just a unique country. but what god has blessed america more than any other country in the world. the problem that america faces today is that we have turned our back on god. god had his hand of blessing. and i think his hand has been withdrawn because we have turned our back on him and his loves. and we see so many problems as a, as result of our politicians. and many of our leaders turning their

back on god standards and his laws. politics may say this one day politics may say this one day, god's laws are the same. and those cannot be changed at a whim. and yes, and our country united states is sad to see how so many politicians of follow. just what the local trends are. they're not concerned about what's right or wrong, they're just trying to get reelected. and it's sad that they would compromise truth and don't move. we could never compromise god's truth. you seem to me struggles to stairs, religion and politics. because often you should have seen as a channel of communication between that say to trump administration, and of course the tens and tens of millions of even jackals in the us. do you in

any way. consider yourself a politician for me. no, i don't consider myself a politician, but i speak on political issues because political issues have an impact on the church and, and i think i should speak out on those thanks and i speak out a moral issues. politicians say that abortion is a political issue. while i say time out, it's not a political issue, it's a moral issue, is that taking the life of an unborn child? and so that's a moral issue. and as a, as a, as a preacher, as a follower of christ, i have every right to speak out on that issue. politician may not like that, but i'm going to speak out on those things that affect truth god's law, what the bible has to say. and so that's when i speak out mostly that's what i

speak out on. do you think certain churches uncompromising starts on particularly social issues like l g, b, t writes, that might be something that pushing people, especially younger generations away from the charge because there is, of course, an argument to be made that the church is sort of the lighthouse and the storm, you know, values change, the world is become so fast moving and the church stands committed to the past to traditions. but it's not a strength or weakness. no, no, there's not small past and as non tradition, the word of god. the bible is the same yesterday today. tomorrow, as god's word doesn't change. and god made marriage between a man and a woman that's. that's the way god intended it this way. god made it and for somebody to come and try to change. what god has said, marriage is, well, that's wrong. and i have a right to speak out on the people that want to live gay lifestyle

in america. they have the freedom to do that. if you're a conservative living in america today, was that religiously conservative, socially. what do you think? how do you think they feel about how people perceive them nowadays? because at least one seems to read about it and they talk about how that person pass. acute it, you know, websites and social media, whether that's in the media that demonized did not them an accurate representation of what's happening? well i think i think followers of jesus christ have been demonized by hollywood for many years. ah, the christians are portrayed as in a negative light many times in, in the entertainment industry and that overflows into the media. and there, there are people in the christian faith that have made mistakes and have failed.

and of course, the media likes to pick out one or 2 of those and highlight them, but that's not the, the, the norm. those are the exceptions that they try to highlight those exceptions. do you think that that there's going to be a lot more pushback from exactly these more traditional conservative side of the let's say the political spectrum precisely because people feel that there's an overdose of culture at the moment. i think i think people are getting sick of it and they're getting tired of it and it's, it's just, it's just endless. and it's as craziness. if you take in my country, be funding the police. okay. seattle. they found the police department and the mayor would not support the police department. and this few days ago they

had a number of shootings and murders and, and the american is now asking for more police. okay. well, that's a little late. but yes, this is woke, culture is gone too far and we need laws. we need the police there is right and there is wrong. and we just have to have common sense. and i think the war culture is there's, this is void of common sense on the issue of thief on the piece that was all triggered, of course, by the black lives matter movement, we will see the scenes of those millions marching of the burning cities as well what were your thoughts when you were watching those scenes? well, i think when like with george floyd and my heart was broken when i,

when i watched them and when they said i came breeze. and the police officer just ignoring it just broke my heart that that, that man was the police officer that was that insensitive. it was just wrong. and we have seen injustices like that as wrong. and we need to, we need to use the law to protect people, but there are tens of thousands of policemen that are wonderful men and women that do their job every day that risk their lives to protect the men and women of the streets. and we need the support of the police departments. and because there is 111 bad apple doesn't mean all the other apples are bad. i mean we have to understand the police are human and they make mistakes to do you think that the u. s. does have an issue or needs to walk when it comes to quality,

especially racial quality. do you think there is institutional racism? i think the united states has made great strides over history. if you think my great grandfather, of course, when he was born there were staves in america and to think that we had on and 15050, some years, 160 years from slavery to where we are today. i think we've made great strides in our re perfect no way. we're not. but with the difference in america and other countries, america is constantly trying to improve doesn't mean we always do it right. but that's that, that is the goal of our country is to try to improve. and i think racially, we have made great strides, but we got a lot more to do the way that you look at america now and the way that you feel

about american now, is it the same way that you felt about the country? 203040 years ago, or is there any disappointment that's arisen or any of the opposite? move pride? well, i mean, i love my country, i'm an american. i'm proud of my country. i'm proud of what my country has been able to do. over over the centuries, we are not a christian country, we're not a perfect country. we have many, many problems. but i still love my country and and i look at the churches that have come out of our country and the missionary efforts were we have taken the gospel around the world. i'm so proud of what america has been able to accomplish in those areas, spiritually and what we've done for the world after the 2nd world war. america could have taken all of europe if they wanted to, but we help to rebuild germany. we help to rebuild japan and,

and get them back up and get them going and get the people lives back together. and i'm from proud of our country for doing that. and we just need to look at where we are today. and the world is different is not the same, but we got to work together about a covert. we have to mention covert it's $22021.00. i know that you have advocated for the vaccine. you think that it's the right thing to do is not going to be a hard sell with the evangelical community. i think it's a hard, several people period. i've talked to church leaders here. it's a hard sell here in russia. there are a lot of people, there's as anti vaccine for whatever reason. and the same in the united states and, and the church, no question. there people, the church that are afraid of the vaccine. i think in the united states military is like 60 percent don't want the vaccine. so

i don't know when, when the vaccine was available for me, i took it and i'm glad that it was available. i'm 69 years old and i want to live of a few more years of i can what keeps you up at night? not in terms of personal thing. i'm not gonna price, but globally what other things that kind of you have wiring around your head when out of the day we work in 130 countries. i've got about samaritan's person, we have about 1800 people working just in our offices in the united states. we have several 1000 people. thanks. 4000 people, the workforce overseas. the work i think is what keeps you up sometimes a niger because you know, things that you've got to get done the next morning because people's lives depend

on it. and so those are things that keep me up most of night. just worried about, are we going to be able to respond quick enough fast enough? and people are looking to us for that help and i want to make sure we do it the best we can. oh, the algorithms in neural networks have been following us everywhere. we look online because our relationships are what matters most of us and that's how we find meaning and how we make sense in our place in silicon valley see, don't mention in the slick presentations. however, i think goes to workers who train the software. humans are involved in every step of the process. when you're using anything online. we're sold as this miracle of

automation behind your screen. it's a rubber workforce that seems algorithm is for next to nothing on a very good day to do $5.00. now. a really bad day. i think you can use workers are available by design. it's about labor costs, but it's also about creating layers of lessening responsibility between those who solicit the kind of work and need it. and those who do it in the wake of the 2nd high level meeting. where does the fraught china us relationship stand? the 1st meeting in anchorage alaska was an embarrassing failure for secretary of state, blinking at the 2nd meeting. the chinese presented the merit with a set of demands would seem to stay just set for real negotiations and not just the roof. the,

the, the, the the, our top stories here on our team and disturbing revelations by bulgaria as health minister, as he admits kofi vaccination, failures may have cost the country almost 10000 lives as russian athletes at the tokyo olympics. keep knocking gold. it's left western media and athletes increasingly seeing read a question that seems right to actually be that also the us comes under attack and the latest round of violence and i've got on its headquarters. there are attacked by what are being called anti government elements. one security got confirmed dead aah.