Donald Trump misquotes the Bible while speaking at a Christian university
'Two Corinthians, right? Two Corinthians 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame ...'
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump made it perfectly clear on Monday morning that he wants Christian voters to know how much he loves the Bible.
So much does he want them to know this, in fact, that he ranked The Good Book better than his own best-seller, The Art of The Deal, while delivering a speech at the world's largest Christian university.
"The Art of the Deal is second to the bible," said Trump to a crowd of approximately 10,000 people during his speech at Liberty University in Virginia. "There's nothing like it, the Bible."
In what some have called an attempt to target "a key voting bloc in the first caucus state of Iowa" – evangelical Christians – Trump spoke of religion several times throughout his 50-minute-long address, calling himself "very very proud" to be Presbyterian and vowing to bring "Merry Christmas" back to retail stores.
Trump: If I'm president you're going to see Merry Christmas in stores again. We are going to say Merry Christmas again. Students applaud
—@fitzpatrick_m
One biblical reference in particular, however, is racking up most of the attention today as video footage of Trump's speech spreads online.
"Christianity, it's under siege," said Trump after paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. near the beginning of his talk, which fell on MLK Day in the U.S.
"We're going to protect Christianity – and I can say that. I don't have to be politically correct," Trump continued before attempting to quote a Bible verse from one of the books in the New Testament: Second Corinthians.
"Two Corinthians, right? Two Corinthians 3:17, that's the whole ballgame," he said, prompting laughter from some students. "Where the spirit of the Lord … right? Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
Trump pivoted quickly by praising the school itself, which won him a round of cheers from the audience. His opponents and critics online, however, jumped at the chance to point out his mistake in saying "Two," as opposed to "Second."
Ted Cruz campaign staffer Brian Phillips made note of the error on Twitter right away:
What is "Two Corinthians?"
—@RealBPhil
As did Eric Teetsel, Marco Rubio's Director of Faith Outreach:
"Two" Corinthians... It won't matter. Nothing seems to matter.
—@EricTeetsel
Liberty University students, on the other hand, were shown in screenshots discussing Trump's flub on the hyperlocal, school-specific social network Yik Yak.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/LibertyU">@LibertyU</a> students on <a href="https://twitter.com/YikYakApp">@YikYakApp</a> not buying <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a>'s bible versing <a href="https://t.co/cKMD0fxL8w">pic.twitter.com/cKMD0fxL8w</a>
—@CahnEmily
Some Trump critics on Yik Yak in Lynchburg. "Trump is a fan of the Two Amendment." <a href="https://t.co/CEy8DtPlpU">pic.twitter.com/CEy8DtPlpU</a>
—@hunterschwarz
And many, many others, found fodder for jokes, as is often the case when it comes to Twitter and Trump.
Two Corinthians and a Samaritan walk into a room
—@HayesBrown
The Tale of Donald Trump and the Two Corinthians: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DumpTrump?src=hash">#DumpTrump</a> <a href="https://t.co/0MZauNA8o6">pic.twitter.com/0MZauNA8o6</a>
—@dlb703
Two Corinthians, right? <a href="https://t.co/hhXkMY37hj">https://t.co/hhXkMY37hj</a>
—@cafedotcom
At press time, the hashtag #BibleTrumping – inspired by Trump's "Two Corinthians" line – was just starting to take off as Twitter users write their own misquoted Bible verses in the style of The Donald.