Outgoing Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he believed that President Donald Trump was “chosen” by God to lead America at this particular point in history — and critics immediately forgot that he said the same about former President Barack Obama.
A very candid Perry sat down with Fox News host Ed Henry for an interview that Henry previewed Sunday morning.
WATCH:
Perry, who ran for president in both 2012 and 2016, told Henry that he was glad that he hadn’t won and went on to say that he believed, for this time and place, President Trump had been “chosen.” The former Texas Governor also made it clear that he did not equate “chosen” and “perfect,” adding, “God’s used imperfect people all through history.” (RELATED: Rick Perry Goes Nuclear On Elizabeth Warren)
“King David wasn’t perfect. Saul wasn’t perfect. Solomon wasn’t perfect. And I gave the president a little one pager on those old testament kings about a month ago,” Perry explained. “And I shared with him, I said, ‘Mr. President, I know there are people who say — you said you were the chosen one.’ And I said, ‘You were.’ I said, ‘If you’re a believing Christian, you understand God’s plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government.'”
Critics were quick to attack Perry.
I still can’t get over the idea that Rick Perry thinks Trump was Gods pick.
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) November 25, 2019
If the Democrats wind up having a demented, evil, corrupt President, are we allowed to not care and just say God chose him?Just wondering. Or does God only choose some of the Presidents? Does God forget to do it sometimes? This is their rationalization. https://t.co/pKZIt4Ya2Q
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) November 25, 2019
Trump was joking, sort of. Rick Perry is not. What’s worse is that he isn’t fringe: this is the theology of #TheFamily.
— Jeff Sharlet (@JeffSharlet) November 25, 2019
If @realDonaldTrump is in fact the “chosen one” and part of a “divine plan” as claimed by Rick Perry, I’m becoming atheist. Now.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) November 25, 2019
Rick Perry is the latest to say Trump is “the chosen one”.
It looks like a cult. It walks like a cult. It quacks like a cult.
Yes, people. Trump’s base is a cult.— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) November 25, 2019
Henry followed the interview clip with the one thing that Perry’s critics appeared to have forgotten: he said the same thing about former President Obama. “And lest people on the left attack Rick Perry, he said Barack Obama was chosen by God as well,” Henry explained. “He said, ‘for this moment, for this time, Donald Trump was sent by God.'”
