Trump nominates Franklin Graham's daughter for religious ambassador role

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Jane Lynch, daughter of evangelist Franklin Graham, as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. This position has been vacant since January 2025. Lynch previously served on the Executive Evangelical Advisory Board of the President's Faith Advisory Council during the first Trump administration and holds senior positions at Samaritan's Purse, also being affiliated with the Billy Graham Evangelist Association. On her podcast, Lynch has spoken against antisemitism on college campuses and expressed her support for Israel as a Christian Zionist. David Trimble, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, stated, "Our world is afflicted by an unprecedented scourge of religious persecution today."