Although generally debunked as apocryphal by modern historians,
the so-called White Horse Prophecy dates to 1844 when Smith himself was a candidate for president of the United States. The Mormons — members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — have long regarded the U.S. Constitution as a divinely inspired document.
According to the legend, Smith predicted that someday the Constitution would be in extreme danger — hanging “like a thread as fine as silk fiber”— and that a member of the church would ride in on a white horse to save it.
“I think Mitt Romney is under the impression that he is going to be the white horse Republican who will save the country,” said Salt Lake City historian Will Bagley, a frequent critic of the church and its leaders. “Whether or not that would happen is a different matter, but I think if it came down to picking between Mitt Romney and Mike Pence, most people would go with Romney.”
