Part of President Trump's base could be taking a step back.
The editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, the evangelical magazine founded by Billy Graham, called for Trump's removal from office in an editorial published Thursday. Mark Galli's plea also came with a direct message to the magazine's evangelical readers, particularly those it feels have come to admire Trump too much.
In the editorial, Galli says Trump is guilty of the charges the House impeached him for Wednesday night: Trump "attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president's political opponents." As Galli put it, "That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral." This position, he declares, is no different than what the magazine said about former President Bill Clinton "20 years ago when a president's character was revealed for what it was."
Still, Galli says, these alleged crimes aren't getting the attention they deserve. That's because "this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration" by having "hired and fired ... convicted criminals," and because he has "admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women." Galli then levies a brutal charge against Trump's character, writing that the president is "a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused." To the evangelicals who still choose to support Trump, well, Galli implores them to "remember who you are and whom you serve."
Read the whole editorial here.