Israel was the "hidden issue" of the presidential election, and clinched the evangelical vote for Trump, megachurch pastor John Hagee has said.
Hagee told Newsmax TV on Thursday: "The Democratic Party did not bring it up... But the Republican Party, particularly with Pence and also with Donald Trump, made it an issue that America was going to stand with Israel.
"I also believe that abortion had something to do with it, but Israel was the main issue that drove the people that we know to vote like they had never voted before."
Hagee, 76, is senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, and also founded Christians United for Israel. He is well-known for his frequent interventions in public affairs, especially his unwavering support of the Israeli government.
In May, he gave an implicit endorsement of Trump, though didn't mention the candidate by name. "I'm going to vote for the candidate that's going to make the US military great again. I'm going to vote for the party that is going to solve the immigration problem, not the one that has created the immigration problem. I'm going to support the party that brings jobs back from China... I'm not going to vote for the party that has betrayed Israel for the past seven years," Hagee said in a video message.
"If you can read a newspaper, you know who I'm talking about. No candidate is perfect, but I want you to go vote and may God give us a leader who has the courage to put America first and stand up for we the people."
White evangelicals backed Trump by 81 per cent to 16 per cent on November 8.
