Jerry Falwell Jr.

Jerry Falwell
2nd President of Liberty University
In office May 15, 2007 – August 25, 2020
Preceded by	Jerry Falwell
Succeeded by	Jerry Prevo
Personal details
Born	Jerry Lamon Falwell Jr. (1962-06-17) June 17, 1962 (age 62) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Becki Tilley
Children	3
Education	Liberty University (BA) University of Virginia (JD)

Jerry Lamon Falwell Jr. (born June 17, 1962) is an American attorney and university administrator. He was the president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was appointed in 2007 after the death of his father^[1] and resigned as president of Liberty University after a series of personal scandals.^[2]

Falwell announced his endorsement for Donald Trump as Republican in the 2016 Presidential Election on January 26, 2016. That caused several Liberty University alumni and other Christians to become concerned that Falwell had "sold his soul." ^[3]

In an August 19, 2016 editorial in The Washington Post, Falwell compared Trump to Winston Churchill. He said: "We need a leader with qualities that resemble Winston Churchill. And I believe that leader is Donald Trump."^[4]

In August 2017, after the Unite the Right protests in which a counter-protester was killed, Falwell defended President Trump, saying that the President doesn't have "a racist bone in his body".

In 2020, Giancarlo Granda publicly discussed his relationship with Jerry Falwell and his wife Becki Falwell, which contributed to Falwell's outster from Liberty University.^[5]

Falwell was born in Lynchburg, Virginia.

References

1. "Jerry Falwell Jr-President". Liberty University. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
2. "Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns as head of Liberty University, will get $10.5 million in compensation". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
3. "'Soul Selling' Trump Endorsement". The Christian News. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
4. "Trump is the Churchillian Leader We Need". Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
5. Roston, Aram (August 24, 2020). "Business partner of Falwells says affair with evangelical power couple spanned seven years". Reuters Investigates. Retrieved September 29, 2024.