One of the best-known figures among evangelical Christians — and a baseball legend to two generations of Americans — came out strong for President Donald Trump on Friday.
“Trump has to win and evangelical Christians will help him do it again,” onetime New York Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson told Newsmax.
Along with being a much-loved (and successfully scoring) Yankee from 1955-66, Richardson is also a lay pastor and an early leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax from his home in Sumter, South Carolina, Richardson, 85, addressed various reports that Trump, who won over 80 percent of the vote among evangelical Christians in 2016, was experiencing slippage of support from that group.
“I don’t see it — not at all,” he replied, “If you just look at the party platforms, there is no way a Christian can vote for the Democratic platform. On just the abortion issue, Republicans stand for life and Democrats permit it almost under any circumstances. And it’s that way on every other issue of importance to Christians.”
Of Trump himself, Richardson recalled meeting him in 1991 when the New York businessman hosted the 30th reunion of the 1961 World Series championship New York Yankees.
Asked if he felt Trump was a Christian then, Richardson replied: “He was not then, and I don’t know about him today. But I’m so impressed with the people he has around him. Vice President [Mike] Pence, Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo, Secretary [of Housing and Urban Development Ben] Carson — he’s surrounded by believing Christians, and I like them all!”
Richardson also noted that whatever Trump’s own personal faith is, he has executed policies and made appointments that no Christian can find fault with.”
Famed for forming a winning double play combination with infielders Clete Boyer and Tony Kubek, Richardson is the only World Series Most Valuable Player to be selected from a losing team in the series (1960). He later served as the baseball coach at the University of South Carolina and Liberty University.
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