Mark Burns
Harvest Praise and Worship Center
Televangelist, founder of the NOW Television Network, and pastor of Harvest Praise & Worship Center in Easley, South Carolina. Time magazine called him "Donald Trump's Top Pastor" after he emerged in 2016 as one of Trump's earliest and most aggressive Black evangelical surrogates, delivering the benediction at the 2016 Republican National Convention and calling Trump a "man of God." Trump appointed him to the 2016 Evangelical Executive Advisory Board. In August 2016 CNN's Victor Blackwell exposed Burns' biographical fabrications — a fake college degree and an inflated military record — and Burns walked off the set. He spoke at the January 5, 2021 pre-Capitol rally, telling the crowd "we're ready to do war" and "we are gonna make it hell for Joe Biden." As a 2022 GOP congressional candidate he called for the execution of teachers and parents who affirm LGBTQ children, citing the Constitution's treason clause. He ran with Trump's personal endorsement for South Carolina's 3rd District in 2024, losing the runoff. By 2025 Burns had become an informal Trump "spiritual diplomat," traveling to Ukraine (where Zelenskyy awarded him the Order of Merit, Third Class) and to South Korea "at the request of the U.S. Department of State." In May 2026 he led the dedication ceremony for the 22-foot "Don Colossus" golden statue of Donald Trump at Trump National Doral, defending it against critics who compared it to the biblical golden calf.
Ministry Location
Harvest Praise and Worship Center
112 S 1st St, Easley, SC 29640
harvestpraise.org→If you attend this church or are considering it, review the evidence below.
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Documented Evidence(12)
+ Submit EvidenceNamed as member of Trump's official Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, June 2016.
View source →Identified by Christianity Today as one of the prominent pastors seen delivering invocations at rallies and defenses of Trump on cable TV.
View source →Pastor Mark Burns delivers a high-energy opening at a Donald Trump rally, mixing faith rhetoric with political support.
View source →CNN's Victor Blackwell confronts Mark Burns about fake biographical claims — a fabricated college degree and inflated military service — during the 2016 campaign. Burns walks off the set rather than answer.
View source →Pastor Mark Burns leads the May 2026 dedication ceremony for the 22-foot 'Don Colossus' golden statue of Donald Trump at Trump National Doral.
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Mark Burns at the May 2026 dedication of the 22-foot golden statue of Donald Trump at Trump National Doral. Photographed by Getty Images; published by The New Yorker.
View source →“We need to hold people for treason. Start having some public hearings and start executing people who are found guilty for their treasonous acts against the Constitution of the United States of America. Just like they did back in 1776.”
From a 2022 campaign video and Right Side Broadcasting interview, Burns calls for parents and teachers who affirm LGBTQ children to be tried and put to death for treason. Reported by Newsweek and The Advocate.
View source →“We're ready to do war for this man. We are gonna make it hell for Joe Biden!”
Speaking from the stage at the pre-Capitol 'Save America' rally on the evening of January 5, 2021, hours before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“One of the greatest honors of my life was leading the dedication of President Donald J. Trump's statue to the world. What amazes me is how quickly some people have compared this beautiful statue, created and made possible by more than 6,000 patriots, to a golden calf or idol.”
Burns' post on X after he led the May 2026 dedication ceremony for the 22-foot 'Don Colossus' golden statue of Donald Trump at Trump National Doral — defending the statue against the obvious biblical comparison to the golden calf of Exodus 32.
View source →Post and Courier investigation documenting Burns' quiet rise as one of Trump's key 'spiritual diplomats' — receiving Ukraine's Order of Merit from Zelenskyy in August 2025 and traveling to South Korea on State Department business, all while facing $1M+ in 2024 campaign debt and unpaid taxes.
View source →The Advocate reports on Burns' call for executing parents and teachers who support LGBTQ youth, framing them as a 'national security threat' guilty of treason.
View source →Newsweek coverage of Burns defending the golden Trump statue after Christians and critics across the political spectrum invoked the biblical golden calf in Exodus 32.
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