Which prominent evangelical leaders have publicly endorsed Trump since 2016 and have any reversed that endorsement?
Executive summary
A broad cohort of high-profile evangelical leaders publicly endorsed or allied with Donald Trump beginning in 2016 — names frequently cited include Paula White, Franklin Graham, James Dobson, Robert Jeffress, Jerry Falwell Jr., Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, Mark Burns, Richard Land, Johnnie Moore Jr., Gary Bauer and others who served on his faith advisory boards or praised his policies [1] [2] [3] [4]. Since his presidency and into subsequent campaigns some of those figures have softened, withheld fresh endorsements, or become critics, while a separate group of evangelical leaders explicitly broke with him and criticized his blend of politics and religion [5] [6] [7].
1. Who the public endorsers were — the “court evangelicals” and advisers
Trump’s 2016 campaign and administration courted an array of established conservative Christian figures who publicly backed him, served on advisory boards, or accepted appointments: Paula White acted as a visible spiritual adviser and White House outreach figure [3] [8], Franklin Graham repeatedly praised Trump and described him as a great president [2] [3], James Dobson and Ralph Reed were named among prominent supporters [1] [2], and a formal evangelical executive advisory board included figures like Richard Land, Johnnie Moore Jr., Gary Bauer and Mark Burns [1] [9]. National Catholic Reporter and The Atlantic catalogue many of these names as central players in Trump’s faith outreach [4] [1].
2. Who shifted, backed away or refused fresh endorsements — soft defections and public withholding
Not all initial allies remained wholehearted. By the 2024 cycle and beyond, several influential evangelicals either refused to immediately endorse Trump, publicly said they were holding out, or signaled division within the movement: Robert Jeffress, long seen as a Trump ally, was reported as “holding out” on endorsing after later campaigns [6] [3], and Franklin Graham publicly said he would not endorse during primaries even as he praised Trump’s record [3] [7]. Reuters and Business Insider coverage shows leaders publicly distancing or pausing endorsements while still sympathetic to many policy priorities [7] [6].
3. Who explicitly reversed or rejected Trump — critics from inside the evangelical world
A distinct strand of evangelical leadership has moved from engagement to opposition: Russell Moore, formerly a top Southern Baptist Convention official, emerged as a vocal opponent of Trump and Christian nationalism and fell out with broader SBC leadership after criticizing Trump [5] [1]. Commentators and former advisers such as Peter Wehner framed some evangelical support as damaging to Christian witness, publicly criticizing leaders who backed Trump [10]. Additionally, a coalition of clergy publicly endorsed Biden in 2020, signaling an explicit evangelical rejection of Trump among some faith leaders [11].
4. What “endorsed” versus “softened” looks like — motivations and agendas
Endorsements ranged from full-throated political advocacy and campaign appearances to pragmatic support focused on judicial and policy outcomes; many leaders framed support around judicial appointments and religious liberty rather than personal approval of Trump’s character [4] [8]. Conversely, those who softened often cited concerns about rhetoric, Christian nationalism, or political tactics and sometimes faced backlash from rank-and-file congregants for speaking out [5] [6]. Reporting repeatedly notes an implicit agenda on both sides: access to power and policy wins on one hand, and theological or moral consistency and institutional reputation on the other [2] [5].
5. The current landscape — entrenched base and a fracturing elite
Surveys and reporting show white evangelicals remain a core constituency for Trump even as elite evangelical leadership fragments: Pew polling in 2025 finds high approval among white evangelicals for Trump’s performance [12], while news outlets document a “quiet quitting” or soft drift away from MAGA among some pastors and a volatile mix of endorsements, non-endorsements and public criticism across the evangelical spectrum [5] [7]. Given the mixed signals — entrenched voter support alongside elite fissures — the pattern is one of partial, not wholesale, realignment [12] [5].