- Pastor Jeffress you cameon an incredible news day.

- (laughs) That's right.

- Right, well talk first about Iowa.

I know you were there last week.

- Yes.

- And what is your takeon what has happened

or what didn't happen last night?

- It's so interesting.

Four-years ago I was there,

traveling with candidate Donald Trump,

before any votes had been cast.

And people were curious about him,

there was some excitement

but there were a lot ofquestions for evangelicals.

When I compare that to this time around,

evangelicals are so excitedabout this president,

because he's running on arecord of accomplishments,

not just promises.

So I think there'sgonna be a huge turnout,

I've told the president often lately,

I believe he is going toexceed the historic margin

from 2016 that he wonthe evangelical vote by.

And when you can bind thatwith the chaos on the left,

that we've even seen last night,today, in the Iowa caucus,

I think things are being setup

for a landside victory for Donald Trump.

- He's got his State ofthe Union speech tonight,

what are you hoping to hear him say

or have you given him some tips?

(chuckles)

- I don't give tips to the president

unless he asks for tips.

He has plenty to talk about

but I think it's gonnabe a positive speech,

I think he's going to be concentrating

on the great accomplishments,regarding the economy,

unemployment, the stock market,

plus the things that he'sdone to promote values

that are important to thoseof us who are Christians.

Without doubt, this presidenthas been the most pro-life,

pro-Israel, pro-religiousliberty president

in our nations history,

and that's a great record to stand on.

- I wanna ask you just a little more,

about your role as faith advisor with him.

You have been with him,as you were saying,

since he was on thecampaign trail originally

from the White House.

- Yes.

- What does your role look like today,

how often are you in touch with him?

- There's no official role at all.

I kept myself a friend,he considers me a friend,

I consider him a friend.

It's interesting, he firstgot to know me five years ago

when he saw me on TV andhe said, you know what?

I need to get to know that guy.

And he reached out to me,we've been great friends,

I have tremendous confidence in him,

and I'll tell your audience this,

I've been with him in somevery pressure-filled moments

I've never seen anybody ascool, calm, and collected

under fire, as this president is.

Every time I leave the ovaloffice I think to myself,

this is the kind of personyou want leading your country.

- Why do you think hehas the reputation then,

for being more of ashoot-off-the-hip type of president?

- (laughs) I think sometimesthat's a cultivated image.

You know people want toland bass the president,

question this or that about him,

and I always tell people, look,

you don't become a billionaire

and the President of theUnited States by being a moron.

He's one of the smartestindividuals I've ever been around.

- I wanna ask you about your critics

because of course you havethem like the president does.

They say that you, as a pastor,

should not be defending someonewho they say is immoral.

How do you respond to your critics?

- Well look, the fact is,

the gospel says all of us are sinners.

We've all fallen short of God's glory,

we're all sinners in need of a savior.

The president neverpretends to be perfect,

and I don't either,

but I think that people understand

that I'm supporting his policies.

You know, one of the firstvotes I ever cast for president,

was voting for Ronald Reagan in 1980.

He was the first divorcedpresident in history.

When I voted for Ronald Reagan,

I wasn't voting to endorse divorce,

I was voting to endorse his policies,

and it's the same with this president.

- Your book is

"Courageous: 10 Strategies forThriving in a Hostile World".

- Yes.

- What prompted you to write this?

- I think it's increasingly difficult

for Christians in this cultureto live out their faith.

Not only because of a culturethat's at odds with God

but also just theproblems we face everyday.

And so I took in this book,

10 survival tips that survivalist used,

in a plane crash or an avalanche,

don't panic, gain situational awareness,

trust your training andapply that biblically

so that Christians cannot just survive,

but they can thrive in this country.

- Pastor Jeffress,

thanks for your time.- Thank you.