Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress has spoken out in praise of President-elect Donald Trump for his decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton.

Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said Trump made the right decision in choosing to forgive Clinton.

"At the end, voters are going to judge President-elect Trump by three criteria: has he made them safer, freer, and richer. And going after Clinton is not going to accomplish any of those goals," Jeffress told Stuart Varney of Fox Business,

Trump told journalists during his visit to The New York Times office this week that he has no plans to prosecute Clinton over storing classified information on an unsecured server at her home, even though during the campaign he repeatedly threatened to jail her if he won. "I don't want to hurt the Clintons, I really don't," said Trump. He said it was "just not something I feel very strongly about".

Jeffress, who teaches the Bible on his own international broadcast ministry, Pathway to Victory, explained that a decision to prosecute would have paralysed Washington for another four years.

"I think everyone ought to applaud President-elect Trump on making that decision."

Jeffress also said families should not be afraid to debate politics over the dinner table.

"I think it's more important how we talk about it. The Bible says that we ought to talk in a way that edifies, encourages other people, rather than tears them down," he said. "If you are a Trump supporter, like me, instead of gloating about his win, point out the positive things to those doubters we have already seen: his inclusiveness, his measured tone."

He said those who oppose Trump, instead of being bitter, should commit to praying "that he would follow God's leadership in his life."

Anti-Trump protesters have demonstrated in front of Jeffress' church because of its conservative position on homosexuality, and had pledged to return for another protest. Jeffress told Varney that just five turned up for the second demonstration, so they went for coffee instead. "I would say that's fizzled out," he said.