Franklin Graham Praises Former President Trump For His Sacrifices And Service To America

Evangelist Franklin Graham expressed his appreciation towards Donald Trump on Friday, thanking the former president for his "sacrifice and service" to America. Graham praised former President Trump for declining to take a salary whilst in the White House, unlike other politicians who become significantly richer after a stint as a politician, particularly as U.S. President.

"President Trump also dropped about $1 billion in wealth during those four years while he served," Graham wrote in a Facebook post, sharing a report. "Donald Trump became president not to make money or to put his hand in the till, but to do his best to preserve the great things about this nation for future generations. He put America first, not his own interests. I've never seen anyone work harder."

Graham, who serves as the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization, linked to a report by USA Today that revealed how former President Trump's sacrifices and services to America caused him to jump down 300 spots on Forbes' billionaire rankings during his presidency.

According to the report, former President Trump's wealth had decreased from $3.5 billion to $2.4 billion during the four years at the White House, from 2016 to 2020. The former President's sacrifices and services to America have pushed him down from the 1,001st place in Forbes magazine's new billionaire list down to 1,299th place today.

According to Forbes, the ex-president had "refused to divest his assets upon taking office" and missed out on reinvesting in the market by selling out in 2017. If he had, he would have earned up to $1.6 billion more.

Nonetheless, Trump still owns major real estate assets such as 6 East 57th Street and 40 Wall Street in New York, 555 California St. in San Francisco, Trump National Doral in Miami, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and Hotel Management & Licensing.

Franklin Graham isn't the only one celebrating former President Trump's sacrifices and services to America, as many Republicans are flocking to Florida this weekend to entice donors for a 2024 election bid. According to Bloomberg, Republican contenders for the 2024 Presidential Elections are converging at the Republican National Committee donor retreat in Palm Beach hoping to gain future support.

Former President Trump, who is looking to get re-elected in 2024, is also expected to speak on Saturday night at the RNC's annual spring donor retreat. On Thursday, he gave a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which was the venue for a fundraising meeting of the Conservative Partnership Institute, Senator Jim DeMint's nonprofit think tank that also employs former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Among the Republican hopefuls for the 2024 presidential elections are former Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all of which will have a long way to go to prove themselves after former President Trump's sacrifices and services to America have majorly impacted the country.