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'He Was One of a Kind': President Trump to Pay Respects to Billy Graham

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is scheduled to pay his respects to the late Rev. Billy Graham, who will lie in honor at the US Capitol Rotunda Wednesday through Thursday. 

"Billy Graham was truly one of a kind. Christians and people of all faiths and backgrounds will miss him dearly," said President Trump. 

The late reverend is the fourth private citizen to lie in honor at the Capitol.

Graham had a big impact on the nation's leaders and for decades advised US presidents from Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush. 

Former Presidents Bush and Bill Clinton paid their respects to the Graham family at the Billy Graham Library in North Carolina. 

Rev. Graham's son, Franklin Graham, prayed during the presidential inauguration last January and continues to advise President Trump. 

"Thank God we have a president who stands for truth and is not afraid to speak truth to the whole world," Graham wrote in a Facebook post last year, referring to President Trump's speech at the UN. "It made you proud to be an American. I hope you will join me in praying for this man, that God will guide and direct him."

The president sang the praises of the man known to many as "America's pastor," suggesting he should be honored for the "special man" he was. 

"He was one of the towering figures of the last 100 years — an American hero whose life and leadership truly earned him the title, 'God's Ambassador,' " Trump said. 

 

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About The Author

Ben
Kennedy

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning White House correspondent for CBN News in Washington, D.C. He has more than a decade of reporting experience covering breaking news nationwide. He's traveled cross country covering the President and scored exclusive interviews with lawmakers and White House officials. Kennedy spent seven years reporting for WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida. While there he reported live from Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Matthew hit the island. He was the first journalist to interview Diana Nyad moments after her historic swim from Cuba to Key West. He reported