Now Reading
Jerry Falwell Jr. Responds to Criticism After Posing for Picture with Trump in Front of a ‘Playboy’ Magazine

Jerry Falwell Jr. Responds to Criticism After Posing for Picture with Trump in Front of a ‘Playboy’ Magazine

Liberty University president Jerry Falwall Jr. has responded to one of the weirdest political “scandals” of the presidential campaign cycle.

Earlier this week, the outspoken head of America’s largest Christian university posted a picture of himself and his wife with GOP candidate Donald Trump. As astute Twitter users soon noticed though, among the many framed magazine covers hanging on the wall behind them, was an issue of Playboy that once featured Trump on the cover.

Critics of Trump—and Falwell Jr.’s endorsement of him—were quick to point out the irony of the conservative Christian college leader posing in front of a men’s pornographic magazine.

The image is especially ironic considering the fact that his father, Liberty founder Jerry Falwell, famously sued Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt for a satirical depiction of him in his porn magazine, in a case that landed in the Supreme Court. (Falwell lost the case.)

It’s not the first time Falwell Jr.’s alignment with Trump has created controversy. In May, a long-time board member at Liberty resigned over the endorsement. Not only did Falwell Jr. formerly endorse Trump, he even recorded campaign robo-calls for him during the Republican primaries.

Now, Falwell Jr. has responded to critics, but not with an apology for posing in front of the magazine. On Twitter, he compared the criticism to the kind Jesus received. So, yeah:

View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

© 2023 RELEVANT Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Scroll To Top

You’re reading our ad-supported experience

For our premium ad-free experience, including exclusive podcasts, issues and more, subscribe to

Plans start as low as $2.50/mo