Reince Priebus Didn’t Compare Trump To Jesus

By Amber Enderton | December 26, 2016 |

The last thing I expected to do on my Christmas morning was defend the Chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus; but 2016 has become a year of many unfortunate occurrences. It all started when pollster Matt McDermott made a series of tweets about the RNC’s annual Christmas statement.

@mattmfm

Oh my god, this is a real statement.

​​8:45 AM - 25 Dec 2016

@mattmfm

Yes, you read that Reince Priebus statement correctly: literally refers to Donald Trump as a "King" and compares him to Jesus Christ.

8:49 AM - 25 Dec 2016

@mattmfm

I mean, you can choose to accept this wasn't purposely written as it was, I guess. But it's clear the double meaning was intentional

9:06 AM - 25 Dec 2016

Just a few hours later, after getting backlash from numerous people, Matt backtracks a bit, but is still adamant this whole thing is the GOPs fault

@mattmfm

What I love most about response to the RNC statement: even if it's harmless, some just can't admit that it's poorly written and ambiguous.

11:27 AM - 25 Dec 2016

This set off a flurry of tweets about the topic, turning it into a trending topic on Twitter, with places like Buzzfeed and the New York Daily News running stories on it; the former even conducting a user poll which had over 15,000 people saying that the RNC either deliberately or accidentally compared Trump to Jesus, with a mere 1,800 people saying Priebus was only referring to Jesus.

Read the statement yourself.

“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.

“Even as we celebrate, we must also remember those among us who are less fortunate. Many on this day are without hope, and need the kindness and compassion of those around them. It is our prayer we will rise to meet the material, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals all around us, and what better day is there to love our fellow man than today?

“As we open presents, enjoy Christmas dinner, and celebrate our own family traditions, we are mindful of our men and women in uniform. Many are stationed around the world today protecting our freedoms, and cannot be with their own spouses, children, parents, and siblings. We express the deepest gratitude for service that takes them away from celebrating with loved ones, and we ought to remember them in our thoughts and prayers not just on Christmas Day, but the whole year round.”

Did you catch it on your first read? Me neither, and I even knew what I was looking for. This is a bog standard Christmas day release, and while the part about remembering the less fortunate is pretty hypocritical coming from the party of austerity, there is nothing overtly offensive about the remarks.

In fact, the line in contention references a line from a common Christmas song played every year: “Hark the heralds, angels sing, glory to the newborn King.” While Chairman Priebus did drop the born when he said “new King”, the presence of a capital letter in king clearly names the Divine. It’s been about 18 years since I’ve been to Bible school, but I still remember you always capitalize the first letter of any noun used for God or the Holy Son, Jesus. Reince Priebus wasn’t comparing Trump to Jesus or calling him king. He doesn’t even mention the president-elect at all in the three paragraph statement.

So just enjoy your holiday season. Sit back, relax with your family, and prepare to greet the new year. 2017 is almost upon us and it’s going to be a chaotic year even without all the fake news and outrageous accusations being flung by media outlets that get paid per click. Happy holidays.