Televangelist Paula White has claimed that Billy Graham gave Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a "prophetic word" when he signed the latter's Bible for his 60th birthday.
However, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is now clarifying that Graham's greeting is not as "prophetic" as White is claiming it to be.
Lisa Moseley, senior BGEA public relations specialist, said in an e-mail sent to The Christian Post that Graham did write something for Trump. However, his dedication was just a simple "God bless you" greeting.
"In 2005, at the request of Paula White, a Bible was signed to Donald Trump from Mr. Graham. The Bible was furnished by Ms. White. The message inscribed was as follows: 'God bless you always. Billy Graham,'" Moseley wrote.
She added that the signing took place over 10 years ago, and "to the best of our knowledge," the extent of the written communication to Trump was limited to just two lines.
White earlier said that for Trump's 60th birthday, she wanted to get him something extra special. "I found out that he really wanted a Bible that had been signed and a letter by Billy Graham. So for his 60th birthday, Billy Graham wrote a prophetic word and a letter to Mr. Donald Trump. Can you hear me here?" she said during a large rally for Trump in Orlando, Florida.
"I am saying that he loves God. So when you look at the fruit of his life, you see his children, you see the people around him," she added.
Meanwhile, when Billy's son Franklin was asked about Trump's steady rise in the GOP polls, he admitted that he was actually surprised about it.
"I don't want to say [I'm] shocked, but no question I'm surprised," Graham said during Fox Business Network's "Varney & Co." "Evangelicals want a strong leader. They want someone who holds biblical values, no question, [but] when it comes to politics, it's hard to find those. I think people are just looking for strong leadership and they are possibly seeing that, I think, with Donald Trump. No question, Donald Trump has tapped into that frustration."
