Trump Lands Endorsement of Christian University Leader
Trump called the endorsement an honor.
— -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has landed another high profile endorsement that will play well with Evangelical voters.
Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, endorsed Trump today, saying in a statement that Trump "is a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful father and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again.”
Falwell became president of the university in 2007 after the death of his father, Jerry Falwell Sr., who founded the Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In a statement, Trump called the endorsement an honor.
"Not only is he a high quality person, with a wonderful family, whom I have great respect for, but I also consider him a very good friend and his support means so much to me," the real estate mogul said.
The nod from Falwell comes on the heels of a battle boiling over in the Hawkeye state between Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz kicked off his presidential campaign at Liberty University last spring.
Trump will be campaigning later today with two stops in Iowa.
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll released today shows Trump with 36 percent support nationwide among white evangelical Christians who are registered to vote. Cruz has 28 percent support among that group. The poll shows Trump maintaining a broad double-digit lead over Cruz in overall support for the nomination.