Televangelist, conservative advocate and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson died Thursday at 93, bringing an end to one of the most influential U.S. voices in religion and conservative politics.
Robertson was a Southern Baptist who was initially interested in politics and the law, but he failed the bar exam after graduating from law school and soon after found religion. He embarked on a more than six-decade career as a Christian broadcaster, sharing his religious views with millions of audience members regularly.
But Robertson, who was the son of a former senator, eventually would come back to politics, tying it closely together with religion. His role helped enshrine the religious right to become a key part of the modern Republican Party.
But his views were often not without widespread controversy and criticism.
Here are five of the biggest political moments from Robertson’s career:
Launches Christian Broadcasting Network
After receiving a master’s degree in divinity from New York Theological Seminary in 1959, Robertson bought a bankrupt television station in Portsmouth, Va. He reportedly only had $70 on him at the time, but he was able to find investors for a tax-exempt religious nonprofit station, which went on air as the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in October 1961.
Robertson initially led a telethon on the station in which he asked his viewers, which numbered less than 1,000, for a $10 monthly donation, but he soon turned it into what would become CBN’s flagship program, “The 700 Club.” The daily show included interviews with newsmakers and current events with a religious angle.
CBN brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in donations over the years, including $321 million in “ministry support” last year.
It also eventually established a satellite network in 1977 that included secular programming. It became known as “The Family Channel” and was later sold first to Fox and then to Disney, which rebranded it as ABC Family and then Freeform.
Robertson retired from leading “The 700 Club” in 2021, the show’s 60th anniversary.
Unsuccessfully runs for 1988 GOP nomination for president
With his influence over conservative voters rising, Robertson launched a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He said that he would only seek the GOP nomination if he could attain signatures from 3 million supporters by September 1987, and he declared his run officially after doing so.
Robertson’s primary opponents were then-Vice President George H.W. Bush and then-Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.). All were running to succeed outgoing President Reagan, who had been the leader of the conservative movement for years, and Robertson argued he was the natural successor.
Robertson focused on rallying evangelical voters in Iowa and performed impressively, coming in second place in the state’s caucus to Dole and ahead of Bush. But he struggled in other states and could not keep up with Bush, who eventually won the nomination and the presidency.
Robertson called on his supporters to back Bush in the election during a speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention.
Forms Christian Coalition of America
Although Robertson did not run for office again, he stayed active in politics, turning his attention to his newly created Christian Coalition of America after his presidential run.
The organization conducted widespread voter mobilization drives to bring Christian voters to the polls in support of conservative religious candidates. Robertson said the coalition would advance the ideals of his presidential campaign.
The group grew to become one of the largest grassroots conservative political organizations in the country. It sent tens of millions of voter guides to its supporters every year to tell its followers where candidates stood on “pro-family issues” and lobbied Congress on major social issues.
The coalition was dominant most notably in the 1990s, helping to usher in the “Republican Revolution” of 1994 in which Republicans retook the majority in the House for the first time in decades and Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrich became Speaker.
Robertson served as the organization’s president until he stepped down in 2001.
Claims 9/11 was caused by God’s anger over abortion, LGBTQ individuals
Robertson made many controversial statements throughout his life that sparked backlash from his critics and occasionally his allies.
One of the most memorable came in a conversation with fellow televangelist Jerry Falwell after 9/11.
Falwell told Robertson that he believed God was allowing the country’s enemies to “give us probably what we deserve.” He continued that the American Civil Liberties Union and the federal court system should take blame for the attacks because they were “throwing God out of the public square” and schools, and the LGBTQ community and those who support abortion rights are also to blame.
Robertson responded, “I totally concur.”
Falwell later apologized for his remarks and walked them back.
Robertson also received widespread criticism for saying on his show a year after the attacks that he believed Islam is a violent religion that wants to “dominate” and “destroy.” President George W. Bush in response affirmed that Islam is a peaceful religion and that the attacks did not represent Islam’s followers at large.
Says Haiti made ‘pact’ with the devil, leading to poverty
Robertson said during an episode of “The 700 Club” following the deadly 2010 Haiti earthquake, while attempting to raise money for a disaster relief fund, that Haitians “got together and swore a pact to the devil” in exchange for independence from the French government that had colonized it.
He went on to hint that the deal is the reason for Haiti’s continued poverty, while the neighboring Dominican Republic is much wealthier.
“They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor,” Robertson said.
He said people should pray for Haiti to return to God.
CBN later issued a statement saying that Robertson was referring to a 1791 slave rebellion in which slaves allegedly made an agreement with the devil for freedom from the French government and was not arguing that the earthquake was God’s wrath.