Social media went bonkers Sunday after the Republican Party issued a holiday greeting that some interpreted as a comparison of Donald Trump to Jesus Christ.
“Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind,” read the Christmas message from Reince Priebus and Sharon Day, chair and co-chair of the Republican National Committee. “Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King.” Priebus will be the president-elect’s chief of staff.
Amid fears of creeping totalitarianism around the globe, Twitter users may have forgotten that “new King” is a common way to refer to baby Jesus, and Christmas is indeed the time that Christians celebrate the “good news” of his arrival.
An aghast Iraq war vet responded on Twitter: “A new king? Are you insane?”
“Dear RNC,” wrote an aide to Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R): “We don’t have a king. What the hell is wrong with you people?”
RNC spokesman and incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the statement had nothing to do with Trump and criticized the “politicizing” of Christmas. “Christ is the King in the Christian faith,” he said on CNN.
Christ “was born today so we could be saved,” he wrote later on Twitter, calling the uproar “sad & disappointing.”
One Twitter user quipped in response that Jesus was an “illegal immigrant, born out of wedlock, no less” so the “GOP wouldn’t know his face.”
Another joked that the statement was about Russian President Vladimir Putin, not Trump.
Last year’s message from Priebus didn’t mention a king. This year’s message urged Americans to remember the less fortunate and to support U.S. troops abroad.
Trump tweeted two Merry Christmas greetings — one featuring a photo of him with a raised fist, apparently at a past rally — and a Happy Hanukkah greeting with a picture of a menorah.