Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    University Transformation: a Global Leadership Perspective
Sign In
Leadership

Liberty U. President Says Trump Could Be ‘Greatest President Since Abraham Lincoln’

By Adam Harris October 27, 2017
Jerry Falwell Jr. (right), president of Liberty U., with President Trump at the evangelical university’s commencement last May. Mr. Falwell remains the U.S. president’s closest ally in higher education.
Jerry Falwell Jr. (right), president of Liberty U., with President Trump at the evangelical university’s commencement last May. Mr. Falwell remains the U.S. president’s closest ally in higher education.Alex Wong, Getty Images

Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University and President Trump’s closest ally in higher education, says he supports efforts to oust “Fake Republicans,” who would undermine the Trump administration’s agenda. And he’s calling on evangelical voters nationwide to help out.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Jerry Falwell Jr. (right), president of Liberty U., with President Trump at the evangelical university’s commencement last May. Mr. Falwell remains the U.S. president’s closest ally in higher education.
Jerry Falwell Jr. (right), president of Liberty U., with President Trump at the evangelical university’s commencement last May. Mr. Falwell remains the U.S. president’s closest ally in higher education.Alex Wong, Getty Images

Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University and President Trump’s closest ally in higher education, says he supports efforts to oust “Fake Republicans,” who would undermine the Trump administration’s agenda. And he’s calling on evangelical voters nationwide to help out.

In an interview with Breitbart News, Mr. Falwell applauded Stephen K. Bannon, a former senior adviser to the president and now executive chairman of Breitbart, for his effort to edge out some establishment Republicans, including several prominent U.S. senators, who do not “100 percent” support President Trump. “He’s probably the only guy who could organize an effort to primary out these,” he said. “I keep saying ‘Fake Republicans’ because that’s what they are.”

“If they can be replaced in 2018 — the political class needs to go,” he went on. “If the people can go out and find candidates like Donald Trump, who have been successful in the private sector, and go out and primary those people — I’m talking about, I know it’s not going to happen in Maine, but I’m talking about people like Susan Collins, [Lindsey] Graham, [Jeff] Flake, [John] McCain, [Mitch] McConnell.

“I think if they go,” he continued, “Trump is going to be the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln.”

He also railed against the news media and the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he argued had created a “permanently impoverished class,” including in large cities.

“I know how you get the people in the big cities to start voting right: You get rid of Nafta that sent all the jobs — the whole idea behind Nafta was to send all the jobs to other countries to keep a permanent impoverished class of people in this country who couldn’t get jobs dependent upon the Democratic Party to vote for the Democrats,” he said.

“We can’t just bring the companies back; you got to cut the welfare back, too, and get people to work,” Mr. Falwell said. “That would be the best thing in the world for the poor people in inner cities, to have jobs instead of welfare checks.”

Mr. Falwell was an early endorser of President Trump and has regularly appeared on television as a surrogate for the president since his election. That has won him criticism from some Liberty students and alumni. In August several alumni said they would return their diplomas in protest after Mr. Falwell defended the president’s immediate response to the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, in which a counterprotester was killed.

The Liberty president’s support has not gone unnoticed by President Trump, who tweeted: “Jerry Falwell of Liberty University was fantastic on @foxandfriends. The Fake News should listen to what he had to say. Thanks Jerry!”

Jerry Falwell of Liberty University was fantastic on @foxandfriends. The Fake News should listen to what he had to say. Thanks Jerry!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2017

Earlier this year Mr. Falwell told The Chronicle that he would lead a White House task force on overhauling regulations in higher education. A White House official confirmed in June that a task force with Mr. Falwell would convene; however, information about his role and the task force’s purview remains limited.

ADVERTISEMENT

But that does not mean his university does not have a voice on higher-education reform: Ashley Reich, senior director of financial-aid compliance and state approvals at Liberty, will serve as a primary negotiator on the “borrower defense to repayment” rule-making panel, which meets in November.

Adam Harris is a breaking-news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHSays or email him at adam.harris@chronicle.com.

A version of this article appeared in the November 10, 2017, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Leadership & Governance Online Learning
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Adam Harris - Profile Pic
About the Author
Adam Harris
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, was previously a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered federal education policy and historically Black colleges and universities. He also worked at ProPublica.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

A Task Force With Falwell Is Happening, White House Says

More News

Illustration of a magnifying glass highlighting the phrase "including the requirements set forth in Presidential Executive Order 14168 titled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government."
Policy 'Whiplash'
Research Grants Increasingly Require Compliance With Trump’s Orders. Here’s How Colleges Are Responding.
Photo illustration showing internal email text snippets over a photo of a University of Iowa campus quad
Red-state reticence
Facing Research Cuts, Officials at U. of Iowa Spoke of a ‘Limited Ability to Publicly Fight This’
Photo illustration showing Santa Ono seated, places small in the corner of a dark space
'Unrelentingly Sad'
Santa Ono Wanted a Presidency. He Became a Pariah.
Illustration of a rushing crowd carrying HSI letters
Seeking precedent
Funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions Is Discriminatory and Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Argues

From The Review

Football game between UCLA and Colorado University, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., Sept. 24, 2022.
The Review | Opinion
My University Values Football More Than Education
By Sigman Byrd
Photo- and type-based illustration depicting the acronym AAUP with the second A as the arrow of a compass and facing not north but southeast.
The Review | Essay
The Unraveling of the AAUP
By Matthew W. Finkin
Photo-based illustration of the Capitol building dome propped on a stick attached to a string, like a trap.
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Can’t Trust the Federal Government. What Now?
By Brian Rosenberg

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: a Global Leadership Perspective
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin