Pastor sparks backlash after 'stupid' response to Trump erecting 22-foot golden statue of himself

A giant golden statue that has been erected to President Trump and blessed by an Evangelical pastor has caused some major backlash, with some calling it sacrilegious and others blasting the men of the cloth defending it.

The 22-foot statue is a little on the nose, literally placing golden Trump on a pedestal with his fist in the air, reminiscent of the infamous picture captured during his attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania.

It was unveiled at a dedication on Wednesday by Mark Burns from 'Pastors for Trump', with the statue overlooking the president's own golf course in Florida. Sharing his shiny new likeness, President Trump said this week: "The Real Deal – GOLD – At Doral in Miami. Put there by great American Patriots!!!"

But the religious parallels of holy men raising up a golden statue and showering it with idolatry is, well, so obvious that even Pastor Burns had to address it as criticism rolled in. “Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf,” he said.

The pastor continued: “This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America.”

But even if the statue is no 'golden calf', a reference to the story from Exodus where the Israelites begin worshipping a golden statue of a cow while Moses goes to Mount Sinai to be handed the Ten Commandments, there are plenty of other biblical reasons to not erect a giant statue.

There is also the story of King Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel 3, who builds an equally massive statue and instructs the people of Babylon to bow down before it, but is shown the error of his ways by three holy men who refuse to worship a false idol.

This is all to say that, most, men of the book would be extremely hesitant to raise up a golden statue to a country's leader, which many pointed out when the statue was revealed.

But one holy man who lined up to defend it was ridiculed for his defense of the statue, with MAGA pastor Robert Jeffress saying: "It looks like President Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the Pope has."

Q: What’s your favorite Bible verse?

Trump: I wouldn't want to get into it because to me that's very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible it's very personal.

Q: Are you an Old Testament guy or a New Testament guy?

Trump: Uh, probably equal. think it’s just an… https://t.co/3NDmc5lRmd pic.twitter.com/JlqcQkzfnq

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 9, 2026

This claim from a holy man, which is fairly easy to disprove, was blasted as 'stupid' by many, with other saying it was proof that the president's supporters were a cult.

One infuriated social media user responded: "This Pastor must be absolutely stupid to make a statement like that. Its because of him and Christians like him that we have the worst disruptor of world peace in the White House."

While Pope Leo XIV has spent literal decades studying the Old and New Testaments, as well as centuries of Catholic doctrine and debate on the meaning of the text, in one interview, Trump could not even name a favorite Bible passage.

When asked, he responded: I wouldn't want to get into it because to me that's very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible it's very personal."

Then, when the interviewer made it more simple and asked half of the Bible he preferred, Trump unconvincingly said: "Uh, probably equal. think it’s just an incredible….the whole Bible is an incredible."