Amid pushback against President Donald Trump and the White House coronavirus task force's Opening Up America Again plan, evangelical leader Franklin Graham tweeted it is another attempt to defame and the defeat the U.S. president.
Graham tweeted Saturday evening:
"In listening to the president's enemies & liberal media, it seems they'd like to see this shut-down drag out & further weaken the economy — not to save lives — but to try to use this to defeat @realDonaldTrump in the election. Pray for the President, that God will give Him wisdom."
The tweet was nearly identical to a tweet from Graham on Friday, but that one had "Democratic politicians" in place of "the president's enemies."
Trump and the health experts on the task force said there is ample testing for large swaths of the country to reopen their economies, while maintaining safety and social distancing protocols.
Similarly, hospitals and supermarkets did not shut down but remained open throughout the pandemic that has cost nearly 40,000 lives in the U.S, sending 22 million to the unemployment line, and costing the global economic trillions.
A majority of the worst infection and death totals come from states run by Democrats, including New York, New Jersey, and Michigan. Those are the states with the most COVID-19 related deaths to date.
A state like Texas, run by GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, has suffered just 469 totals deaths and has unveiled a plan to being Phase I of the Reopening America Again protocol Monday.
Graham has been a longtime supporter of the president.