President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance faced accusations of hypocrisy on Monday after posting tributes on social media to mark the Catholic celebration of the Virgin Mary’s birth.
Trump shared on his Truth Social platform a photo of the statue of “Our Lady Queen of Peace,” a depiction of Mary and the infant Jesus that is housed in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
“Happy Birthday Mary, Queen of Peace!” the president captioned the image.
Vance reposted Trump’s message on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly named Twitter, with a crown emoji.
The Sept. 8 Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates Mary’s birth. Trump and Vance have leaned heavily on religious messaging in a bid to court conservative both evangelicals and Catholics.
But critics pointed out that the teachings of Christ would stand in sharp contrast to many Trump administration policies, particularly its hardline anti-immigration measures of mass detentions and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Some noted how Trump only this month announced the Pentagon’s rebranding from the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Others mocked Vance’s repost as little more than sycophancy toward Trump.
Related…