'They call me king': Highlights from Trump's unusual Easter lunch speech
Wednesday's White House Easter lunch with handpicked Christian leaders was designated as a "closed press" event on US President Donald Trump's schedule, meaning no reporters were to be in the room.
That decision was not particularly unusual.
But just after 12:30pm local time in Washington, the White House livestreamed the event. Within hours, the video was taken down from the White House's YouTube page.
Right off the top, Trump pointed to Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative commentator and CEO of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, and told her to "sue the hell out of them".
The remark is likely a reference to those who are speculating that Charlie was not killed by the young man who was arrested for the crime, with new forensic evidence only boosting that argument.
Frank as he always is, Trump's more than 40-minute-long speech seemed even more candid and comfortable among a religious crowd who have, time and time again, through prayer, devoted themselves to him.
"On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem... as king," Trump said as he recounted the Easter story.
"They call me king. Now, do you believe it?" he added, likely in reference to the Democrats' "No Kings" protests held across the country on Saturday.
"I'm such a king. I can't get a ballroom approved," he quipped to laughter across the room. One day earlier, a federal judge ruled that the president went beyond his authority to tear down part of the White House to build a resort-style ballroom.
"Pretty amazing... I could be doing a lot more if I was a king," he said.
Trump often looked out and appreciatively gestured at the many friendly faces in the crowd.
"When someone's nice to me, I love that person. Even if they're bad people. I couldn't care less. I’ll fight to the end for them," he said.
Church and state
"I'm delighted to join the countless Christians across the country and around the world as we prepare to celebrate a thing called Happy Easter. Do we have that? Everyone happy?" Trump asked, looking around the room.
'I've often said that to be a great nation, you have to have religion'
- US President Trump
Republicans, alongside influential conservative organisations like The Heritage Foundation, have suggested that Christians are under attack in the US because terms like "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Easter" are being watered down to generic holiday greetings by liberals.
There is no documented pattern of evidence to suggest that is the case.
Trump himself has never been religious, having been in the public eye nearly his entire life. He has twice mentioned publicly that "nothing will get me into heaven".
But Evangelical Christians in particular, most of whom are avowed Christian Zionists, have been some of the biggest donors to his campaigns.
"Religion's an amazing subject of passion," Trump said. "There have been more wars over religion than trade, and everything else."
"I've often said that to be a great nation, you have to have religion. I believe that so strongly. You have to have religion, and you have to have God," he added, without a hint of irony related to the war currently being waged by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Religious war
Soon after, his spiritual adviser, televangelist Paula White, was on stage saying Trump is akin to Jesus Christ, regarded by followers of the Christian faith as the son of God.
'The Persians, Iranians, are wanting to kill every Jew, woman, child, and do it all in one day'
- Evangelist Franklin Graham
"Because of his resurrection, you rose up," White said.
"Mister 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," she lamented over multiple federal charges against Trump and two assassination attempts.
"It's a familiar pattern that our lord and saviour showed us, but it didn't end there for him, and it didn't end there for you. God always had a plan."
White has recently urged Christians to donate 10 percent of their income to her ministry, which funds settler projects in Israel.
As a longtime personal friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White was also key to the firing of anti-Zionist Catholic Carrie Prejean-Boller from Trump's Religious Liberties Commission, Middle East Eye was previously told.
Franklin Graham, the son of the evangelical firebrand Billy Graham, also prayed over the president at the podium.
"The Persians, Iranians, are wanting to kill every Jew, woman, child, and do it all in one day," he said.
"Father, we pray for the people of Iran who want freedom and be set free from these Islamic lunatics," he continued.
"The wicked regime of this government wants to kill every Jew and destroy them with an atomic fire, but you have raised up President Trump. You've raised him up for such a time as this. And Father, we pray that you'll give him victory."
'The big one'
But that victory, Trump suggested, is being frustrated by Nato members who don't want to help him forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz to US and Israeli-linked shipping vessels.
"Nato treated us very badly, and you have to remember, because they'll be treating us badly again if we ever need them. And hopefully we're never going to need them," he said.
"The UK, they should be our best [ally]. In fact, the king is coming over here in two weeks. He's a nice guy, King Charles, but should be our best, right? But they weren't the best."
Charles has already come under criticism for taking up Trump's invitation while he is actively bombing schools and hospitals in Iran.
"Then I call up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly," Trump said as laughter erupted around the room. "He's still recovering."
French President Emmanuel Macron responded on Thursday, calling the comments "neither elegant nor up to par".
France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, was at the White House last week to meet with Melania Trump to work on a project aimed at protecting children and adults from cyberbullying.
"Emmanuel, we'd love to have some help in the Gulf, even though we're setting records and knocking out bad people and knocking out ballistic missiles, we'd love to have some help. If you could, could you please send ships immediately?" Trump recounted telling the French president.
"'No, no, no, cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won,'" Trump said in a mocking French accent.
"I said, 'No, no, I don't need after the war is won, Emmanuel,'" Trump continued.
"Many of them said, 'We'll be there after the war is completed.' And so I learned about Nato. Nato won't be there if we ever have a big one. You know what I mean by the big one," he said, likely referring to a US war with another great power.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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