A stark call for Trump's removal by an evangelical Christian magazine suggests he could lose a previously rock-solid part of his base

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Trump prays during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in August 2018.

• An evangelical Christian magazine called for Trump's removal after he was impeached by the House, citing his "immoral" dealings with Ukraine.
• Christianity Today's editor-in-chief said Trump violated the Constitution and questioned his high level of support among evangelicals in light of his "blackened moral record" - suggesting that support damages the community's reputation.
• Evangelical Christians formed one of Trump's most solid voting blocs in 2016 and have largely stuck by him, but some have questioned the support in light of some of Trump's opinions and actions, including his multiple divorces.
• The magazine was founded by the late famous televangelist Billy Graham, who Trump repeatedly phrased. Trump also spoke at his memorial in 2018.
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Evangelical Christian magazine Christianity Today called for Trump to be removed from office after he was impeached by the US House in a stark call that suggests a slip in support from a previously rock-solid part of his base.

Mark Galli, the editor-in-chief of the magazine that was founded by the late famous televangelist Billy Graham, referenced Trump's dealings with Ukraine - dealings that led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

He wrote in an editorial under the under the headline "Trump Should Be Removed from Office" that "the facts in this instance are unambiguous: the president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president's political opponents.

"That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral," he wrote.

A call memo produced by the White House itself shows Trump asked Ukraine's president to investigate Joe Biden, the former vice-president and one of Trump's 2020 election candidates, in a July phone call.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump insists that the memo proves that he did nothing wrong, but the House voted to charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. This sets up a trial in the Senate, which will likely see Trump acquitted and - out of line with Christianity Today's newly expressed wishes - kept in office.

Evangelical Christians emerged as one of Trump's most solid bases during his presidential campaign, and 2016 exit polls found that 80% of the demographic voted for him in 2016.

The demographic is one that leans Republican, but this high level of support for Trump himself is one that many have tried to understand in light of some actions from Trump, including his past divorces, comments about immigrants, and sexual assault allegations made against him.

Galli, in his editorial, called directly to those evangelical Christians who have continued to support Trump despite what he called the president's "blackened moral record."

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Billy Graham preaches in New Orleans in March 2006.

"Remember who you are and whom you serve," he wrote. "Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior."

He also suggested that the community's support of Trump harmed its image among those without the same beliefs: "Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump's immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency."

Galli did not say if he thought Trump should be removed by the Senate, or by 2020 voters choosing not to re-elect him, saying it was a matter of "prudential judgment."

But he highlighted what he said were examples of compromised morality from Trump.

"This president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals.

"He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone - with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders - is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused."

Galli also noted that the magazine does not often take political stances but that it was similarly critical of former president Bill Clinton during impeachment proceedings against him in 1998.

"Unfortunately, the words that we applied to Mr. Clinton 20 years ago apply almost perfectly to our current president," he said.

Trump has praised Graham, the magazine's founder, before. He spoke at a memorial service for Graham at the US Capitol in 2018, where he recalled that his father was a fan.

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Donald Trump touches Billy Graham's casket in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in February 2018.

And if his magazine has broken with Trump, there is no suggestion that Graham's family has.

His son, Franklin Graham, said in 2018 that Trump "defends the Christian faith more than any president in my lifetime."

However, his granddaughter, Jerushah Armfield, criticized Trump in 2017: "I think we can look at his life, look at the intolerance that he's spoken, I think that my Jesus that I follow was really somebody who fought for the outliers, and I think that Trump has actually done the opposite - kind of ostracizing them."

Other evangelicals have also previously broken their support for Trump over his actions.

Pastor AR Bernard left the White House's evangelical advisory board in 2017 over Trump's response to violent protests in Charlottesville, saying there was a "deepening conflict in values" between him and Trump's administration.

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