President Donald Trump on Tuesday mourned the death of Jimmy Swaggart, one of the biggest televangelists of the 1980s. He was 90 years old when he died.
Swaggart died on Tuesday, his ministry announced, thanking the staff of Baton Rouge General Medical Center for the care they gave. His son had outlined the deterioration of the televangelist’s condition, saying just two days prior that his death was a matter of “when, not if.” Trump extended his condolences to Swaggart’s family in a post on Truth Social.
“Very sad, Jimmy Swaggart passed away today! He was an incredible Man of Faith and, as our Nation’s longest serving Televangelist, inspired millions with his Great Love of God and Country. Our hearts and prayers are with his wonderful wife Frances, his son Donnie, and their entire family. Jimmy will be deeply missed!” Trump said.
Swaggart’s ministry thanked Trump in a Facebook post.
“Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for taking a moment to acknowledge and honor the impact Brother Swaggart has had on millions. This means so much to all of us here at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries,” it said.
Trump has expressed his fondness for Swaggart before. At an October faith rally in Georgia, Trump sought out the televangelist in the audience.
“Is Jimmy Swaggart here?” he asked, after his name was mentioned. “I love Jim, where is Jim? I love Jimmy Swaggart, I don’t even know if he likes me! But I think he does.”
“That guy is a talented guy, say hello to him,” Trump said after scouting out his son in the audience.
Swaggart was one of the most influential televangelists of the 1980s, drawing millions of viewers from all over the world for his dramatic, theatrical preaching. His stardom came crashing down in 1989, when a private investigator caught him entering a motel with a prostitute.
After the revelation became public, Swaggart shocked his ministry by delivering a tearful apology live on air to his wife, family, church, and viewers, giving what became known as his “I have sinned” speech on Feb. 21, 1988.
“I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your precious blood … would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God’s forgetfulness never to be remembered against me anymore,” he said, drawing sobs and wails from the audience.
Swaggart was defrocked after returning to preach after a three-month hiatus, ahead of the two-year suspension ordered by the national presbytery of the Assemblies of God. He thenceforth preached under his own nondenominational church.
Just three years later, Swaggart was pulled over for driving erratically in California and found in the company of a prostitute. He was less remorseful this time around, telling congregants, “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business.”
Swaggart briefly stepped down for counseling. Though never amassing his audience of the 1980s, he retained a large base of followers.
Despite his controversies, Swaggart maintained a loyal fan base until his death. Fans flooded the comments on the Facebook post announcing his death, expressing condolences and sharing how he affected them.
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He even drew admiration from critics for his charisma and public speaking skills.
“I don’t know of anyone in America, religious or secular, who can hold a crowd better,” Rice University sociologist William Martin told the New York Times in 1988.
