Did Republican party just liken Donald Trump to Jesus in its Christmas message?

The US Republican National Committee is denying claims that its annual Christmas message compared President-elect Donald Trump to Jesus. Social media, however, has its doubts.

The message from RNC Chair Reince Priebus and Co-chair Sharon Day referenced the birth of Jesus, then said, “Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King”.

Twitter quickly pounced, with responses such as this from someone calling himself @Teridax: “Comparing Trump to Jesus is ridiculous. Jesus never had a plane with his name on it.”

Several media outlets also asked about the message.

In response to Buzzfeed’s question, GOP spokesman Sean Spicer tweeted, “Christ is the King. He was born today so we could be saved. It’s sad & disappointing you are politicising such a holy day.”

Spicer said Buzzfeed should apologise, and that CNN was mocking the GOP for acknowledging that Christ is king of the Christians.