(ChurchLeaders) A billboard near the Tennessee-Georgia border was removed this week after people objected to its message comparing former President Donald Trump to Jesus Christ. The advertisement, which appeared in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, not far from Chattanooga, Tennessee, features Trump’s face with this quotation from Scripture: “Unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders.” An American flag appears in the background, and the words “Joint Heirs” and “Romans 8:17” are in smaller print along the bottom.
The billboard vendor confirmed that the ad was removed but didn’t specify why. The company says it doesn’t share details about clients and supports the First Amendment rights of its advertisers.
“Trump as a Messiah” Message Called Into Question
After Washington Post political reporter Eugene Scott tweeted a photo of the billboard with the caption “Wow,” it went viral—with lots of pushback. “This is literally biblical in its horror,” someone commented.” Some people pointed out that the quoted verse isn’t from Romans but from Isaiah 9:6, a well-known prophecy about the coming Savior, Jesus. The rest of that verse says the Christ-child “will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”