Televangelist Pat Robertson suffers stroke

The Christian TV host said that last year's Las Vegas shooting was connected to disrespect for President Trump

The 87-year old is expected to make a full recovery (Snapshot/YouTube)

Longtime televangelist Pat Robertson is recovering after suffering an embolic stroke, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network, a Virginia-based television network Robertson founded.

Robertson, 87, was rushed to the nearest stroke centre on Friday after a family member recognised "the onset of symptoms," the CBN report says.

"Within minutes of receiving [clot-busting drugs], Dr Robertson was awake and responsive and able to move all of his limbs," CBN states. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Robertson hosts CBN's flagship show "The 700 Club," where he has praised and interviewed President Donald Trump during his campaign and after his election. Robertson and some other evangelical leaders have stood by the President, even after some thought they might abandon him. Robertson, for instance, called Mr Trump's "Access Hollywood" video "macho talk." In the fall, Robertson connected the Las Vegas mass shooting to disrespect for Mr Trump.

For decades, Robertson has been an influential leader among certain kinds of evangelicals who consider themselves to be charismatic or Pentecostal, including those who might engage in healing services and speaking in tongues.

Robertson has founded numerous organisations, including Regent University, which is based in Virginia Beach.

Robertson's past remarks, including a claim that the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was God's judgment, have generated controversy.

The son of a US senator, Robertson campaigned to become the Republican Party's nominee in the 1988 presidential election. He also founded the American Centre for Law & Justice, a conservative organisation that is seen as often being in opposition to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Washington Post