Pastor Robert Jeffress, staunch Trump evangelical supporter, calls Biden president-elect

One of President Donald Trump’s earliest and staunchest evangelical supporters, Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, is calling Democrat Joe Biden the president-elect.

In a Fox News column Jeffress did not seem overjoyed with the reality of the situation, calling Biden’s win a "bitter pill to swallow," but he did attempt to guide other Trump supporters on how Christians should respond.

"Here is our chance to show that Christians are not hypocrites. We serve a God who remains on His throne, sovereignly reigning over every square inch of this vast universe," he wrote. "We serve a God who loves us and will never leave or forsake us. And now we have the chance to show the consistency and constancy/ of our Christian witness to this world.

“When Joe Biden becomes president, we should commend him for the things he does right,” Jeffress wrote. “We should condemn the things he does wrong. And above all, we must pray fervently for our president. If President Biden succeeds, we all succeed. May God bless Joe Biden, and may God bless the United States of America.”

As the senior pastor of one of Texas’ biggest megachurches, First Baptist Dallas, Jeffress for the past five years has been Trump's most visible evangelical supporter, a frequent visitor to the White House and subsequently has received Trump’s high praise as he courted evangelicals as a critical part of his political base.

"Pastor, you and Amy [Jeffress’ wife] have stood with us from the very beginning and I will always stand with you," Trump said in 2017. "I told you that and I mean that. I will always be with you. I appreciate it. Thank you."

The president on Good Friday called Jeffress "a terrific guy, a terrific man” after saying that he would tune in to his Easter Sunday service virtually.

In the days immediately following the presidential election Jeffress defended Trump’s right to contest the outcome.

“As I said on Lou Dobbs show Friday: “The only way to unify our country is to protect not only the right to vote but the right to contest an election. President @realDonaldTrump has EVERY right to contest this election,” Jeffress tweeted.

The White House has yet to acknowledge Trump's defeat and the president has continued to make baseless claims of fraud stemming from before Biden was declared the winner over the weekend.