There are two things that impress Donald Trump: God and Donald Trump.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcast Network’s The Brody File at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, the Republican presidential front-runner was asked to describe what God means to him.
“Well I say God is the ultimate. You know you look at this?” Trump said, motioning toward an oceanfront golf course that bears his name. “Here we are on the Pacific Ocean. How did I ever own this? I bought it 15 years ago. I made one of the great deals they say ever. I have no more mortgage on it as I will certify and represent to you. And I was able to buy this and make a great deal. That’s what I want to do for the country. Make great deals. We have to, we have to bring it back, but God is the ultimate. I mean God created this, and here’s the Pacific Ocean right behind us. So nobody, no thing, no there’s nothing like God.”
While Trump has had little trouble on the campaign trail discussing his vision for the country, he has stumbled at times when questioned about faith. During a forum for social conservatives in Ames, Iowa, in July, Trump conceded that he has never sought forgiveness from God.
“I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right,” he said. “I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”
Later that month, after he said the Bible was his “favorite book,” Trump declined to recite a single verse from the religious text when challenged by Bloomberg News. When asked if he preferred the Old or the New Testament, he replied: “Probably equal. I think it’s just incredible.”
In his CBN interview this week, however, Trump expanded on his thoughts on the Bible.
“There’s so many things that you can learn from it. Proverbs, the chapter, ‘never bend to envy.’ I’ve had that thing all of my life where people are bending to envy. Actually, it’s an incredible book, so many things you can learn from the Bible and you can lead your life. I’m not just talking in terms of religion; I’m talking in terms of leading a life even beyond religion. There are so many brilliant things in the Bible,” Trump told CBN. “The Bible is special, the Bible — the more you see it, the more you read it, the more incredible it is. I don’t like to use this analogy, but like a great movie, a great, incredible movie. You’ll see it once it will be good. You’ll see it again. You can see it 20 times and every time you’ll appreciate it more. The Bible is the most special thing.”