'Welcome to the Cult': Perry, Haley Comments That Trump Is 'Chosen One' Draw Criticism

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in an interview with Fox News that U.S. President Donald Trump is "the chosen one."

Speaking to "Fox & Friends" over the weekend, the former Texas governor said: "God's used imperfect people all through history. King David wasn't perfect. Saul wasn't perfect. Solomon wasn't perfect.” 

“And I actually gave the president a little one-pager on those Old Testament Kings about a month ago and I shared it with him,” he continued. “I said, 'Mr. president, I know there are people that say you said you were the chosen one and I said, 'You were,’" Perry added.

Perry, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, said the same thing of former president Barack Obama. "You know, Barack Obama doesn't get to be the President of the United Sates without being ordained by God. Neither did Donald Trump."

Nikky Haley was later asked about Perry’s comment and she echoed his sentiment, saying “everything happens for a reason... I think God sometimes places people for lessons and sometimes places people for change.”

Former George W. Bush ethics chief Richard Painter slammed the comments on Twitter writting, “Welcome to the cult of @realDonaldTrump.” The Atlantic’s David Frum noted, “As the early Church pointed out, Attila the Hun was also sent by God. ‘Ego sum Attila, flagellum Dei.’”

In January then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said God "wanted Donald Trump to become president."

"That's why he's there and I think he has done a tremendous job in supporting a lot of the things that people of faith really care about," she added. 

In March Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also implied that Trump had some kind of divine purpose, saying it was "possible" that Trump was sent by God to save Israel from Iran.