'Donald Trump Can't Make America Great Again,' Benham Brothers Say
The popular Christian conservative real estate team the Benham brothers say that Donald Trump "can not make America great again" and advise Christians and conservatives not to put their "faith, hope and trust" in the thrice-married Republican nominee.
Jason and David Benham, twin brothers, authors and Christian entrepreneurs who gained notoriety when their HGTV show was cancelled due to their religious opposition to gay marriage, spoke with The Christian Post on Tuesday and discussed their thoughts on the 2016 election.
The brothers, who are sons of evangelical pastor Flip Benham and frequently encourage Christians to stand up for biblical truths in the public square, were asked how they would advise evangelical Christians as they got to the voting booths on Nov. 8.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
As the Benham brothers supported the candidacy of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz during the Republican primaries, they are now among the many American voters who must decide whether or not to vote for Trump or the Planned Parenthood-endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election.
David railed against the fact that neither Trump nor Clinton are "a leader that is biblical or has the qualifications to lead the nation."
"Well, there was a leader like that," Jason added. "David and I were on board to help Cruz. The option was there."
Although there are some third-party and independent options like Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party's Jill Stein, Jason explained that there are really only two real options in this election.
"David and I, the way we feel, there really isn't a third option," Jason said. "There is just two in terms of a vote."
Although many conservative evangelicals are starting to embrace Trump as he has made promises to protect religious liberty, repeal the Johnson Amendment and appoint pro-life justices and judges, Jason warned that Christians should not suddenly think that Trump is the answer to all their problems even if he is a better option than Clinton.
"You don't put your faith, hope and trust in Donald Trump," Jason asserted.
Even though they do plan to vote for Trump over Clinton, Jason said that does not mean that he and his brother endorse Trump's behavior or character.
"And it doesn't mean that we are saying that this is going to save our country," Jason added. "Look, you can put this on record: Donald Trump can not make our country great again because he never made it great in the first place. The almighty God is what makes countries great and we know lots of people that are in Donald Trump's court who he is listening to and these are good, godly men and godly women."
Many prominent evangelical figures are serving on Trump's evangelical advisory board, including the former head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Richard Land, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, Bishop Harry Jackson, former Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd and former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham, among a number of others.
The Benham brothers are voting more so for judges than they are for Trump. Jason explained that America's sexual revolution over the last half century — which has brought on the rise of abortion and the legalization of gay marriage — has occurred because of judicial activism.
"Coming from a pure, American constitutional standpoint, the revolution that we have seen take place over the last 50 years has not been because of a president. It's been because of radical leftist judges," he said. "You look at the 900-plus federal judges, including a 9-member Supreme Court, we have to start looking at the appointment of federal judges."
As Trump has vowed to appoint judges and justices who will uphold law as it is written in the Constitution and not rewrite law based on a political agenda, Trump also released a list of 11 potential Supreme Court nominees. Trump had the help of the Federalist Society in compiling the list and the judges on the list have been praised by various conservative and pro-life groups.
"When you look at a Donald Trump and he says that he is going to seek the help of the Federalist Society and he has got a vetting board for his judges that are all judges that every single Christian should support, that stands out to us," Jason said. "He is definitely not my first pick and David and I are not going to go in saying, 'Oh yeah, we are definitely voting for Trump.' But, we are saying this is how we are weighing that. In terms of what we do in November, David and I vote judges."
Although the Benhams might be voting based on what candidate vows to pick constitutionalist jurists, Jason stressed that it is ultimately the church that needs to hold judges accountable.
"If the church would just become the conscience of the nation again, those judges would feel accountable," he said. "Just look at how the court has changed its stance on so many things just because of the winds of culture has changed. But if the church is being accountable, the culture doesn't change like it has and then, the courts won't change. Ultimately, it comes back to the church."
Jason provided a simple analogy to explain why they support Trump.
"If I got to get from New York to California and have two options — walk or take a moped — the option that I will take is the moped," Jason said. "Don't blame me when I am sitting on that moped going 15 miles an hour. Don't blame me for not taking a car. The car wasn't an option. When a car was the option, I voted for it. I voted for Cruz and so did my brother. We went all in for Cruz. But the option has been removed."
