The Hill News

The Rev. Franklin Graham, a politically-influential evangelical leader, said Friday he is open to backing billionaire businessman Donald Trump for president should he run in 2012.

Graham, who along with his father the Rev. Billy Graham have advised multiple presidents, told ABC News that he likes what Trump has been saying while flirting with a presidential bid. 

"Donald Trump, when I first saw that he was getting in, I thought, well, this has got to be a joke," he said. "But the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know, maybe this guy's right."

Asked if Trump might be his candidate of choice, Graham replied "Sure, yes."

The real estate mogul has garnered headlines not only for flirting with a ! presidential bid, but for repeatedly questioning President Obama's birthplace. 

Critics of The Donald have also pointed to the facts that he has been divorced twice and expressed pro-abortion rights views before saying he is opposed to abortion rights as evidence social conservatives should not back him. 

But Trump has sought to clear the air in a series of interviews, explaining how his views on abortions evolved and that his marriages ended because he wa! s consumed by his work.

Others have suggested tha! t Trump' s populist missives against China have strong appeal amid a weak economy.