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Trump Wishes Everyone A 'Happy' Crucifixion Day

The COVID-19 death toll made the US president's wish particularly jarring.

US President Donald Trump came up with an unusual greeting Friday to those commemorating the day Christ was nailed to a cross: “HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY TO ALL!”

He later wished everyone a “great” Good Friday at his press briefing.

The jarring greeting referred to the most somber day of the Christian calendar. It marks the torture of Jesus and his death upon a cross. Easter, on Sunday, marks the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection. (The “good” in Good Friday refers to the day being “holy.”)

Trump’s wish was particularly jolting given that the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 18,000 and continues to surge.

Critics pointed out again that, though Trump pushes the agenda of evangelical Christian leaders, he’s foggy about actual Christianity.

They pointed to Trump’s blooper during his presidential campaign when he spoke at Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Liberty University and quoted a Bible verse — to student snickers — from “two Corinthians.” The New Testament book is called “Second Corinthians,” as in the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. (Trump also swore twice during that speech.)

In an earlier video, Trump steadfastly declined to name his favorite Bible verse, saying, “I don’t want to get into verses.” And when asked if he preferred the Old or New Testament, he dodged: “The whole Bible is incredible.”

Others referred to Trump’s reported haziness about Pearl Harbor. Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig noted in their book, “A Very Stable Genius,” that when Trump was about to tour a Pearl Harbor memorial, he turned to John Kelly, then his chief of staff, and asked: “Hey, John, what’s this all about?”

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