Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) appears to be a favorite as of late on CNN's "State of the Union," especially as he lashes out against Republicans and their legitimate concerns. This is not just with Warnock speaking as a senator, but as a reverend as well. As we covered at the time, Warnock as a reverend expressed condolences for the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, whose accused killer is an illegal immigrant. But, he then went on to condemn and even blame Republicans for killing a particularly bad border bill. Earlier this week, he once again appeared on "State of the Union," this time to discuss religious matters, including the "Transgender Day of Visibility" proclamation that President Joe Biden declared last Friday, on Good Friday, for March 31, which was also Easter Sunday this year.
Host Dana Bash was quick to highlight how Warnock is "preaching today, as the senior pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia."
While co-host Jake Tapper last month gave Warnock some pushback about "policy failures that led to [Riley's] tragic murder," Bash this time went right along with Warnock, offering him softball questions that invited him to expand upon criticizing those who dared to be outraged about Biden's proclamation for such a religious holiday.
When discussing the Gospel of Matthew and caring for strangers and the poor, Bash pointed out, "That message of caring for strangers and being welcoming toward people of all different backgrounds seems like a pretty central tenet of Christianity." As she went on to ask the senator, "Do you think that this country, people not just here and around the world, have gotten away from that view of religion?"
"Sadly, you wouldn't know that listening to some of the loudest Christian voices in America today that are often mean to poor people in the name of faith," Warnock claimed as part of his response.
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The segment also attacked former and potentially future President Donald Trump for selling Bibles he endorsed during Holy Week. As she mentioned how "this Bible that Donald Trump is selling also includes the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Constitution," Bash also went on to mention how unnamed "experts say that this is in line with a growing embrace on the right of Christian nationalism, which is the idea that the United States should be a Christian country." Evidently, she and these "experts" haven't heard of the "American Patriot's Bible" that was released in 2009.
Bash and even Reverend Warnock also failed to point out how America was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Warnock just kept sticking to his support for the Separation of Church and State, which was actually put in place for the protection of religion.
Hypocrite Sen. Ralph Warnock: It's Okay for Me to Talk About Religion, But It's 'Risky Business' for Trump
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 31, 2024
"Well, I'm a proud American. I love my country. And one of the tenets of my country that I love is the separation of church and state. And so I try to use my faith and the… pic.twitter.com/YE2vcUEfTH
For all of the eyeroll inducing moments leading up to this point of the interview, they at least prepared viewers for when Bash would undoubtedly bring up the "Transgender Day of Visibility Proclamation."
"Republicans are attacking President Biden for recognizing today as Transgender Day of Visibility," Bash pointed out, not even bothering to hide her point of view on who is politicizing Easter this year. "I want to be very clear that this day, this Transgender Day of Visibility, is always on March 31, has been since 2009. This president has marked it every year since he's been in the White House. The date of Easter changes year to year. I don't need to tell you that."
What Bash did not bring up when it comes to her one-sided questions was how the transgender community already has plenty of days, weeks, and months used to celebrate and cater to the particularly small but nevertheless supposedly influential – at least in Democratic circles – demographic.
She also shared how Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) "called Biden's announcement abhorrent and said he betrayed the central tenet of Easter," merely asking Warnock, "What do you say to that?"
The senator went on to issue a pretty steep accusation, "Well, apparently, the speaker finds trans people abhorrent," and then turned his response into calling Johnson out for his daring to take issue with the proclamation coming on a day when the focus should be Easter.
"And I think he ought to think about that," Warnock said about Johnson."The fact of the matter is, as you said, March 31 has been a day to lift up transgender people who endure violence and bigotry. Easter, the date changes every single day," he added, making no mention as to how perhaps Biden could declare it on a different day or forgo it all together.
Warnock then made his response even more political from there, all while speaking as a reverend might.
"But this is just one more instance of folks who have – who do not know how to lead us trying to divide us. And this is the opposite of the Christian faith," he claimed. "Jesus centered to marginalize. He centered the poor. And in a moment like this, we need voices, particularly voices of faith, who would use our faith not as a weapon to beat other people down, but as a bridge to bring all of us together."
Despite such a political response, Warnock brought it back even more directly to being a reverend, as he saw fit.
"That is what Martin Luther King Jr. did. And I'm honored to preach from that pulpit every single day. It is a faith that guides me in my work as a United States senator, trying to cap the cost of insulin, so folks can afford it, trying to make sure first-time homeowners can buy a home, and that our children are not so awash in student debt that they have a mortgage before they have a mortgage," he added, offering, "This is how my faith informs me every single day."
“Apparently the Speaker finds trans people abhorrent.”@SenatorWarnock reacts to Republicans, including Speaker Johnson, criticizing President Biden for observing Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, although it’s always marked on March 31. pic.twitter.com/0oF5GzMVgL
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) March 31, 2024
With Warnock bringing up issues that are more so Democratic talking points than they are tenants of the Christian faith, it's worth highlighting how the abortion issue was glaringly left out. Evidently, Warnock's concern for the least of these does not apply to the unborn. He has been a pro-abortion senator, and even supports forcing taxpayers to fund elective abortions.
There was considerable chatter over social media over the weekend about the proclamation, with Democrats and those from the White House looking to downplay, excuse, justify and gaslight those who dared to be offended.
The Trump campaign also provided a statement in response, which Bash didn't bother bringing up during the segment, despite bringing up Trump to bash him at length.
The responses and back-and-forth from the White House that came on Monday make Bash's handling of the segment come off as even more directly inline with with the Democratic Party. Biden himself claimed, "I didn't do that," in response to issuing the proclamation that Johnson spoke out against, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre further denigrated offended Christians by ranting about "misinformation."
