A prominent critic of President-elect Donald Trump defended the Republican National Committee's Christmas message that some liberals said compared Trump to Jesus Christ.
Author and lawyer David French wrote on National Review that "liberal Twitter" had it all wrong when it came to the RNC's press release.
The controversy began Christmas morning, when the RNC wrote this:
"Merry Christmas to all! Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends."
Some liberals spun the phrase "a new King" to mean the RNC was calling Trump, who won last month's election, a 2016 version of Christ.
That notion was all wrong, French wrote.
"Eagle-eyed mainstream media theologians spotted this sentence — 'Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King' — and apparently immediately thought, 'The Republicans actually think that 'this Christmas' they have a 'new King' named . . . Donald Trump!,'" French wrote.
"Are these folks really so ignorant of Christian language and customs that they don't understand that the 'new King' is Christ? I've heard that phrase countless times. 'King' is capitalized for crying out loud — a clear reference to the divine.
"Next, do liberal journalists and pundits really think so little of the RNC that they actually believe they'd call Trump a king? Do they really think they'd compare the president-elect to Jesus? Apparently so, and that's a big problem."
RNC spokesperson Sean Spicer also blasted liberals' claims, posting a message on Twitter to clarify the situation:
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