Paula White says her role has transformed into an unofficial advisory to the president, as well as being his personal pastor

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser and megachurch leader Pastor Paula White said in an exclusive interview her relationship with the president is the result of a direct “assignment” from God, who directed her to “show him who I am”.

The controversial pastor at the central Florida-based New Destiny Christian Center is known for her luxurious lifestyle and preaching the prosperity gospel, which tells followers the more they donate to the church the more God will bless them.

Paula White: the pastor who helps Trump hear 'what God has to say' Read more

“I encounter thousands of people, millions of people, over the course of ministry, but there’s been a handful of people that I knew was, like, this was direct assignment,” White told the Guardian. God’s calling to her, she said, was “directly regarding Trump”.

White first met Trump in the early 2000s. The “18-year relationship” has since transformed into an unofficial advisory role in the White House, as well as being the president’s personal pastor, she said.

Like many people Trump surrounds himself with, White is controversial. She is alternately described as the woman who “led Trump to Christ”, and a “charlatan” and “heretic”. Her Florida ministry and televangelism made her a millionaire, but has also attracted scrutiny from congressional investigators.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

White has no formal religious training, but instead said she received a vision from God when she was 18 years old, studied the Bible for two years, and opened a storefront church in Tampa, Florida. That church grew to 20,000 members, at one point one of the largest megachurches in the United States.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Paula White says God’s calling to her was ‘directly regarding Trump’. Photograph: Eve Edelheit/The Guardian

The Guardian met White at her nearly 6,000-sq-ft home in a gated community in Apopka, Florida, near her Pentecostal ministry, called New Destiny Christian Center.

White said she has served as a link between the president and America’s evangelical community, a steadfast base of support. She also advises on specific policies and coordinates communications with the religious community, according to White’s telling, and also ministers to Trump’s family.

White said she has advised the president on everything from moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (she told him he was “making the right decision”), to coordinating with the faith community on the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

White said the president’s faith plays a leading role in determining policy, including on issues such as abortion, Bible study in public school and appointing anti-abortion judges – all policy priorities of the evangelical community.