Texas pastor Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church, has long been linked to Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Recent reports about his guilty plea in a decades-old child abuse case have renewed questions about his political alliances. Many readers want to know if Morris is a Trump supporter and how deep his connections to the former president truly run.
Morris’s ties to Trump go back nearly a decade. He was publicly associated with Trump’s evangelical outreach efforts and hosted the former president at Gateway Church. However, his formal role in Trump’s political network has changed in recent years, especially after his criminal case gained national attention.
Robert Morris and His Links to Trump’s MAGA Network
In 2016, Donald Trump formed an Evangelical Executive Advisory Board to help him connect with faith leaders during his first presidential campaign. Robert Morris was among the pastors who participated in that network. Media outlets, including The Texas Tribune and Associated Press, reported that Morris was sometimes described as a spiritual adviser to Trump during that period.
Morris also welcomed Trump to Gateway Church in Dallas in June 2020, when the president hosted a “Transition to Greatness” roundtable. Trump praised Morris and his church publicly during that visit. The appearance positioned Morris as one of several high-profile evangelical leaders helping to solidify Trump’s standing with conservative Christian voters.
Beyond campaign optics, Morris aligned with Republican leaders on cultural issues. Texas Governor Greg Abbott reportedly sought his support in 2017 for a bill aimed at restricting transgender individuals from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity. This added to Morris’s reputation as a religious conservative connected to Republican politics.
However, in the 2024 campaign cycle, reports indicated that Morris was no longer included in Trump’s evangelical advisory team. Coverage in outlets such as The Christian Post noted that his name was removed from updated board lists. This suggests that while he was a Trump ally in the past, his formal influence and proximity to the campaign have decreased.
Public Fallout and Changing Political Standing
The decline of Morris’s formal role coincides with his legal troubles. In March 2025, Morris was indicted on five counts of child sexual abuse stemming from the 1980s. The survivor, Cindy Clemishire, came forward saying Morris abused her when she was 12. On October 2, 2025, Morris pleaded guilty in an Osage County courtroom. He received a 10-year sentence with 9.5 years suspended, meaning he will serve six months behind bars.
After the plea, Clemishire issued a public statement saying justice had finally been served. The case has drawn intense media scrutiny, putting pressure on organizations and individuals previously associated with Morris, including political figures. The absence of Morris from Trump’s 2024 evangelical advisory group appears consistent with this fallout.
In short, Robert Morris was undeniably a Trump supporter and adviser during key years of Trump’s political rise. But his role has diminished, and the criminal case has damaged his public standing, likely pushing Trump’s team to distance itself from him.
FYI (keeping you in the loop)-
Q1: Was Robert Morris part of Trump’s evangelical advisory board?
Yes. He joined Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board in 2016 and was seen as part of Trump’s faith outreach team.
Q2: Did Robert Morris host Donald Trump at Gateway Church?
Yes. In June 2020, Morris welcomed Trump for a roundtable event at the Dallas campus of Gateway Church.
Q3: Is Robert Morris still part of Trump’s 2024 faith team?
No. Reports show his name was removed from the updated evangelical advisory list for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Q4: How has the abuse case affected Robert Morris’s political ties?
The guilty plea and media scrutiny have hurt his influence. Trump’s team appears to have distanced itself from him.
Q5: Does Robert Morris still publicly endorse Trump?
There’s no record of any new endorsement or campaign activity by Morris after his 2025 guilty plea.
References
Associated Press. (2025). Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges. Oct 2, 2025.
The Texas Tribune. (2025). Texas pastor Robert Morris indicted on child sexual abuse charges. Mar 12, 2025.
The Christian Post. (2024). Robert Morris nixed from Trump’s evangelical advisory board. Jul 2024.
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