NEWSWEEK
Donald Trump has said the Bible blows his own book away during an interview with a Christian TV network that aired Tuesday night as the former president spends time in Scotland.
Trump spoke to the Victory Channel about the fact he had gone to Sunday school and his views about the Bible in a conversation recorded at his Mar-a-Lago estate on April 24.
A clip of the former president comparing the Bible favorably with his own book shared to Twitter by attorney and former Republican Ron Filipkowski had been viewed more than 70,000 times as of early Wednesday morning.
Trump appeared to be referring to his latest book Letters to Trump, which contains “part of the incredible private collection of correspondence” between Trump and prominent figures such as world leaders and celebrities.
“I went to Sunday school, which was good and which was expected,” Trump told the Victory Channel’s Flash Point program. “Everybody goes to Sunday school.”
“And when you think about it, the world is so different now,” the former president went on. “Sunday school is not, probably, on everybody’s key list but I remember in those days, it was something that was very important.”
“I remember it so well. You’d sit there and you’d learn all the different…you know, you’d go through the Bible basically,” Trump said. “The greatest book. That blows this book away, I have to be honest with you.”
Trump nodded at a copy of his book sitting on a table and added: “So I grew up in that atmosphere and I think that made it easier for me to do what I’m doing now.”
The former president has previously compared another of his books, The Art of the Deal, to the Bible, telling a rally in Michigan in 2015 that his book came second to the Christian scripture.
“It’s my second-favorite book of all time,” he said. “Do you know what my first is? The Bible! Nothing beats the Bible!”
“As much as I love The Art of the Deal, it’s not even close,” the former president said. “We take the Bible all the way.”
Trump has frequently touted his love for the Bible but came under scrutiny after an interview with Bloomberg in 2015 in which he refused to answer a question about his favorite verses from scripture.
“I wouldn’t want to get into it. Because to me, that’s very personal,” Trump said. “The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics.”
The former president is currently in Scotland where he broke ground on a new golf course named after his mother on Monday. He’s expected to make a brief visit to Ireland on Wednesday before returning to the U.S.
Newsweek has reached out to former President Trump’s office for comment.
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