A longtime politics editor of an evangelical magazine quit over his publication’s embrace of President Trump, escalating the rift over impeachment among a key demographic of Trump’s base.
The Christian Post on Monday published an editorial in support of Trump, a direct reaction to Christianity Today’s momentous decision to call for Trump’s removal from office last week.
Earlier this week, the Christian Post published a letter signed by 200-plus evangelical leaders — including Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr — calling out Christianity Today for it’s anti-Trump editorial. The Christian Post then published the editorial embracing Trump on Monday, prompting the politics editor Napp Nazworth to part ways with the outlet.
According to Nazworth’s Twitter feed, the Christian Post in the past has taken both pro-Trump and anti-Trump views on various issues. Nazworth told the Washington Post that it became clear that the editorial decision meant the publication intended to embrace the President, rather than maintain the neutral stance its held in the past.
“I’m just shocked that they would go this path,” he told the Post.
I'm saddened by what happened for many reasons. I've been with CP for over 8.5 years, made many friendships, and had lots of exciting opportunities along the way. …
— Napp Nazworth (@NappNazworth) December 24, 2019
The departure is representative of a broader rift in a key portion of Trump’s base. After Christianity Today published its editorial declaring Trump “immoral,” Trump lashed out, calling the publication — which was founded by the late evangelical Billy Graham — a “far left” magazine and has since announced plans to rally in support of a new evangelical coalition in Florida next month.
The magazine has since seen an onslaught of cancelled subscriptions. The Washington Post reported that while at least 2,000 people cancelled subscriptions, it’s gained about 5,000, primarily from a younger demographic.
