Ian Paisley Junior has said his resignation as a junior minister has not affected his father's position as Northern Ireland First Minister.
Speaking last night to reporters at Stormont at one of his last functions as a Minister, the DUP Assembly member for North Antrim said he was delighted at the support shown by members of the public.
He said he had been overwhelmed by the amount of calls, letters and the reaction he got.
Mr Paisley Junior was speaking at an event to promote the North West 200 motorcycle race.
He had just returned from Edinburgh, where he had been part of a Stormont delegation meeting their Scottish counterparts.
On that visit, his father the First Minister Dr Ian Paisley had refused to answer questions about his political future sparked by the resignation.
But Ian Paisley Junior said his father had always been under political pressure throughout his career.
'As he said, he has a 'rhinoceros hide' and he does it in his own characteristic way,' he said.
He added that the Paisley brand in terms of governing Northern Ireland had been very effective, not only in Northern Ireland but across the UK and across the world.
