In a recent interview with National Review, Phillips says the backlash is something he never could have imagined and noted that it has been tough on his wife and daughter, who have had to suffer through numerous trials and have been overwhelmed by threatening phone calls and emails.

“This is not something that you would envision or ever step into intentionally, I don’t think,” he said…

Yet Phillips maintains it is “worth it to fight.”

“These are important freedoms for everybody, the freedoms that everybody cherishes,” he said. “I’m sure all liberty-loving Americans cherish their right to speak what they want and to worship the way they want . . . and they all deserve the right to be able to work and live according to their conscience without fear of being punished by the government,” he said.