Featured Image Credit: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Easter, Politics
Phoebe Tonks
Topics: Donald Trump, Easter, Politics
Donald Trump has divided the public after seemingly comparing himself to Jesus Christ at a White House Easter lunch.
At the annual event on Wednesday, April 1, Trump shared the story of Palm Sunday with attendees before adding that he could relate to one of the names that people use when referring to Jesus.
"On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem as crowds welcomed him with praise honoring him as king," Trump explained in a now deleted clip that has been removed from the White House website. "They call me king now. Can you believe it?”
Pastor Paula White-Cain, Trump's spiritual adviser who leads the White House Faith Office, also drew parallels between Trump and the Christian figurehead, as she too likened the President to Jesus.
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“Mr. President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. It almost cost you your life. You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our lord and savior showed us," she said. "But it didn’t end there for him, and it didn’t end there for you.”
“God always had a plan. On the third day, he rose, he defeated evil, he conquered death, hell and the grave. Because he rose we all know we can rise, and, sir, because of his resurrection you rose up," she added. "Because he was victorious, you were victorious. And I believe that the lord said to tell you this: Because of his victory, you will be victorious in all you put your hand to.”
While the focus of the event was designed to be the Easter story, it still didn’t stop Trump from discussing his own political trajectory and a few recent setbacks during his speech.
In particular he made reference to recent obstacles that have blocked his $400million White House ballroom renovations, saying that even though people call him ‘king’ that doesn’t necessarily mean that he gets what he wants.
"No kings. I’m such a king, I can’t get a ballroom approved," he said as people laughed again. "It’s pretty amazing, right? If I was a king, we’d be doing a lot more.”
Trump had been on track to rebuild the East Wing of the White House after he tore it down to get work underway on a renovation to build a ‘much needed’ ballroom.
It later emerged however, that the military had planned to build a bunker facility underneath the building - something which has now been stopped by a federal judge.
“The military is building a big complex under the ballroom, which has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed,”he revealed last month. “But the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that's under construction. And we're doing very well. So we’re ahead of schedule.”
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered a pause on the project back on March 31, when he argued that the president is ‘the steward of the White House,’ but not 'the owner’, suggesting that he was overreaching by choosing to make such substantial changes to the building.
Needless to say, Trump did not share this view and responded on Truth Social minutes after the ruling became public.
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?"