President Donald Trump skipped his daily coronavirus briefing for the first time in a month to watch an Easter Sunday Service by Pastor Robert Jeffress. Jeffress is known for saying that Islam is an “evil religion” and for calling homosexuality “filthy.”
The president did not update the public on the virus on Sunday, which has now infected more than 530,000 Americans.
Trump has been addressing the nation daily from the Press Briefing Room in the White House since mid-March. The United States now has more coronavirus-related deaths than any other country.
Instead, Trump tweeted his wish for Americans to have a “safe and blessed Easter Sunday” before announcing he would be remotely watching Pastor Jeffress’ service.
Jeffress is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, which has about 4,000 members. He’s also a Fox News contributor and has often been at the center of controversy for homophobic and Islamophobic comments.
In 2010, Jefress claimed Islam promoted pedophelia. “The deep, dark, dirty secret of Islam: It is a religion that promotes pedophilia – sex with children. This so-called prophet Muhammad raped a 9-year-old girl – had sex with her,” he said. He then stood by his comments, calling Christians a few weeks later to stand up against “this evil, evil religion.”
He’s also been criticized for his comments on homosexuality. “What they do is filthy. It is so degrading that it is beyond description. And it is their filthy behavior that explains why they are so much more prone to disease,” he said.
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