Why Donald Trump Jr.'s Remarks On Christianity Have Twitter Seeing Red

By now, the public is used to hearing Donald Trump Jr.'s opinion on most topics. He's publicized his thoughts on everything from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah to half a dozen Dr. Seuss books being pulled from publication due to racist imagery (via Newsweek). 

He saves his most pointed barbs for the current administration, blasting President Joe Biden on Twitter in March for a slip of the tongue and going viral in June for a video rant targeting the commander in chief (via The Independent). Still, this is to be expected from Donald Jr. Ever since his father took office, he has followed in the family tradition of appealing to their conservative base and encouraging outrage at all liberal policies. He even wrote in his 2019 book that his hard-hitting style is "just one of those things that got passed down in the genes!" (via The Washington Post). But his latest eyebrow-raising remark still came as a shock to many.

On December 19, Donald Jr. was one of the guest speakers at an event sponsored by the conservative group Turning Point USA. As seen on YouTube, he urged the crowd to band together in solidarity — and then he delivered the zinger.

Explaining in his speech that right-wingers have been "playing T-ball" to the left's "hardball" (via YouTube), Donald Trump Jr. told the audience that the time has come to give as good as they get. "We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality, but it's gotten us nothing," he declared. "It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution in our country." 

Considering that a whopping 85% of conservatives identify as Christian (via Pew Forum), Donald Jr.'s suggestion to go against biblical teachings was unexpected and had social media in an uproar. "Donald Trump Jr. told a crowd that the teachings of Jesus 'have gotten us nothing.' And yet they're the party of faith. Got it," reads one tweet. Another person tweeted, "Donald Trump Jr. telling a crowd of angry "Christians" that their lord and savior didn't really have the right approach down is going to make 2022 a fun year." Yet another tweeted, "The only thing Donald Trump Jr. has in common with Jesus is that both worked for their fathers."

Meanwhile, Peter Wehner, who served in the Reagan and both Bush administrations (via Twitter), wrote a scathing editorial in The Atlantic. Wehner blasted Donald Jr. for his message that "the scriptures are essentially a manual for suckers. ... the ethic of Jesus has gotten in the way of successfully prosecuting the culture wars against the left."