Pastor kicks off Trump rally by calling for Bernie Sanders to convert: ‘Bernie’s got to meet Jesus’

A North Carolina pastor warmed up the crowd at a Donald Trump rally by urging Sen. Bernie Sanders to become a Christian.

Televangelist Mark Burns spoke to Trump supporters at a campaign event in Hickory ahead of Tuesday's North Carolina primary election, reported the Friendly Atheist blog.

"Bernie Sanders, who doesn't believe in God, how in the world (are) we going to let Bernie -- I mean, really?" Burns said, as the crowd applauded. "Bernie's got to get saved, Bernie's got to meet Jesus. He's got to have a coming to Jesus meeting."

Sanders describes himself as a secular Jew who is not "particularly religious," and his wife was raised Roman Catholic.

After mischaracterizing the senator's religious views, Burns slammed his political identification with democratic socialism.

"We're a democratic country, we believe in small business and we believe in small government and we believe in big states and local rights," Burns said.

Burns, who is black, encouraged the audience to cheer louder and reminded them to watch his upcoming appearance on CNN, where he planned to promote Trump's campaign, and tweaked the Black Lives Matter movement by telling the cheering crowd that "all lives matter."

Watch the pastor's remarks posted online by Right Side Broadcasting: