One of the hundreds of mourners who paid their respects to the late Billy Graham Tuesday was ex-President Bill Clinton. Appearing without his wife, Clinton stopped by Graham’s North Carolina home.
“In that little room, he was the same person I saw when I was 11 on that football field,” Clinton said, recalling the one-on-one chats he often had with the “Pastor to Presidents.”
Clinton and Graham met decades ago when Clinton was just a boy.
“I’m just here as another person – grateful,” Clinton said Tuesday.
Former President George Bush also visited Graham’s home. Bush credits Graham for confirming his faith and leading him to become an evangelical. According to the Daily Mail, “Bush said Graham planted the seed in his soul that led him to recommit his heart to Jesus Christ during a private talk with the minister in 1985.”
Graham first mingled with the White House in 1950 when he met President Harry Truman. Their prayers kicked off a long-running tradition. Every single president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama has met with Graham personally while in office.
“Whether the story of Christ is told in a huge stadium, across the desk of a powerful leader, or shared with a golfing companion, it satisfies a common hunger,” Graham once said.
The illustrious religious leader will lie in honor at the Capitol Wednesday. The public will be allowed to pay their respects until 8 p.m. The ceremony will officially end at 10 a.m. March 1. Only 31 people in American history have ever been honored the same way.
The funeral will be held on Friday. President Trump plans to attend. George W. Bush and Barack Obama will not be in attendance.
“The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man,” President Trump tweeted.
(Source: Daily Mail)