Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) likened former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the “God Bless the USA” bible to the money changers Jesus chased out of the temple, as narrated in the Bible.
During a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Dana Bash brought up the issue, saying, “Donald Trump, is marking this Holy Week by posting a video. He did so encouraging people to buy as $60. Trump endorsed Bible listen to what he said.”
“The group selling that Bible says, it paid to license Trump’s name and image, which means he’s making money off the sales. What do you make of that?” Bash asked.
In response, Warnock stated, “The Bible does not need Donald Trump’s endorsement and Jesus in the very last week of his life chased the money changers out of the temple those who would take sacred things and use them as cheap relics to be sold in the marketplace. The sad thing is that none of us are surprised by this.”
“This is what we expect from the former president if he’s not selling us stakes, he’s selling us a school whose degree is not worth the paper that is written on. If he’s not selling us a school is selling us sneakers and now he’s trying to sell the scriptures. At the end of the day I think he’s trying to sell the American people a bill of goods and that worked in 2016, although he did not win the popular vote even in 2016, it did not work in 2020. I don’t think it’s going to work in 2024,” he added.
In a video shared on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump tried to encourage every American to have a copy of the Bible, which he is selling in partnership with country musician Lee Greenwood. The Bible is selling for approximately $60 and will include the U.S. Constitution, the bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence and lyrics from Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”
“All Americans need a Bible in their home and I have many. It’s my favorite book. It’s a lot of people’s favorite book. I’m proud to endorse and encourage you to get this Bible. We must make America pray again,” Trump said in his Tuesday post.
“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and have to bring them back fast. I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country,” he added.
The GOP presumptive nominee has faced criticism from some quarters since he launched the Bible sale bid.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) took a swipe at him in a post to X, writing, “Happy Holy Week, Donald. Instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14.”
Happy Holy Week, Donald. Instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14. pic.twitter.com/SzMwevnXeG
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) March 26, 2024