Despite previously declining to discuss the Bible in depth, Donald Trump said Thursday that his favorite Bible teaching is “eye for an eye.”
During a radio interview, Trump told WHAM 1180AM host Bob Lonsberry that while it’s “not a particularly nice thing,” the eye for an eye story is his favorite verse, which comes from Exodus 21:24. He added that overall, one “can learn a lot from the Bible.” BuzzFeed was the first to flag the comments.
“Is there a favorite Bible verse or Bible story that has informed your thinking or your character through life, sir?” the host asked Trump.
“Well, I think many. I mean, when we get into the Bible, I think many, so many,” Trump said. “And some people, look, an eye for an eye, you can almost say that. That’s not a particularly nice thing.”
“If you look at what’s happening to our country, I mean, when you see what’s going on with our country, how people are taking advantage of us, and how they scoff at us and laugh at us,” Trump said. “And they laugh at our face, and they’re taking our jobs, they’re taking our money, they’re taking the health of our country. And we have to be very firm and have to be very strong.”
“We can learn a lot from the Bible, that I can tell you,” he added.
Jesus rejects an “eye for an eye” in the New Testament.
Trump has been hesitant in the past to discuss the nitty gritty of the Bible in the past. During an interview with Bloomberg Politics in August, Trump declined to say what his favorite verse or book of the Bible. He also said that he liked the Old and New Testaments equally.
“Probably equal. I think it’s just incredible,” Trump said.
