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Sen. Raphael Warnock slams Trump for selling Bibles

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., on Sunday excoriated former President Donald Trump over the $60 Bibles he is selling in partnership with country music star Lee Greenwood.

Warnock, who serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, condemned Trump for selling the Christian holy text at a high price during an interview on CNN.

“The Bible does not need Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Jesus, in the very last week of his life, chased the money changers out of the temple, those who would take sacred things and use them as cheap relics to be sold in the marketplace,” he said. “The sad thing is that none of us are surprised by this — this is what we expect from the former president.”

Warnock pointed to Trump’s failed business ventures including steaks and the defunct Trump University, both of which have faced legal repercussions.

“If he’s not selling us steaks, he’s selling us a school whose degree is not worth the paper that is written on it. If he’s not selling us a school, he’s selling us sneakers, and now he’s trying to sell the scriptures,” he said.

The Georgia Democrat argued that Trump selling pricey Bibles is a “risky bet” because the text conflicts with the former president’s conduct.

“Donald Trump is doing what he’s always done, and this time it’s a risky bet because the folks who buy those Bibles might actually open them up, where it says things like, ‘Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not bear false witness,’ where it warns about wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing,” he added. “I think you ought to be careful. This is risky business for somebody like Donald Trump.”

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment when asked about Warnock’s remarks.

Trump began promoting the Bibles during Holy Week, the days leading up to Easter and a sacred time for many Christians. In a video promoting the Bibles posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump said that the holy text is “my favorite book” and warned that “religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe that we need to bring them back.”

Trump, who has a long history of selling branded merchandise under his name, is set to receive royalties from the sales of his $60 Bible, a person familiar with the arrangement told The New York Times. The terms of the royalty agreement are unclear.

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Trump’s deals to sell Bibles, sneakers and perfume are unprecedented for a presidential candidate, experts say

Sneakers. Perfume. Trading cards. Bibles.

Those are just some of the products Donald Trump is hawking while he runs to unseat President Joe Biden.

They join a sprawling catalog of Trump-branded merchandise, ranging from steaks to scented candles, that the businessman-turned-president has licensed over the years.

But as his campaign coffers dwindle and his fortune comes under threat, Trump — who has never completely severed his political career from his financial one — is now actively intertwining his business ventures with his White House bid.

“There is no precedent for this level” of business activity during a presidential campaign, Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig told CNBC, though “the trend has been building for many years.”

Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of money-in-politics watchdog Documented, agreed.

Donald Trump introduced his new line of signature shoes on Feb. 17, 2024 in Philadelphia.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file

“I can’t think of any other modern example of a presidential candidate hawking an array of goods for their private benefit,” Fischer said.

For an average candidate, that activity might trigger a campaign finance investigation — but it likely won’t for Trump, who has been selling branded goods long before he entered politics, according to Fischer.

“Trump is a unique case,” he said.

That uniqueness was on full display Tuesday, as Trump unveiled his latest promotion: a $60 Bible that includes copies of the nation’s founding documents, along with lyrics from country star Lee Greenwood’s hit song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

The song by Greenwood, who is partnering with Trump to endorse the high-priced holy book, is a regular needle drop at the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign rallies.

Trump made the campaign connection even more explicit in a video announcing the promotion, warning that Americans’ rights are under threat and declaring, “we’re gonna get it turned around.” He also invoked his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” multiple times.

It is unclear how much money Trump is making off the Bible — he is receiving royalties from its sales, a person familiar with the arrangement told The New York Times — but whatever he gets will be effectively going into his pocket.

The website for the Bibles says it has no link to Trump’s campaign. It instead uses Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from a company called CIC Ventures LLC.

Trump’s 2023 financial disclosure calls him the “Manager, President, Secretary, & Treasurer” of CIC Ventures, and lists his revocable trust as the sole owner of the company. Trump has made more than $5 million in speaking engagements through the company, the disclosure shows. Florida business records show CIC’s address is the same as Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Lessig noted that Trump’s business moves do not appear to be violating campaign ethics or financial rules.

“I don’t think there’s any ethical problem with it at all — so long as the proper reporting requirements are complied with,” the professor said.

“There may well be a strategic or brand problem with it, but that’s the same as with any political speech,” he added.

A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Trump’s Biblical endorsement came during Holy Week, the run-up to Easter and a sacred time for Christians. It also came less than six weeks after Trump traveled to a sneaker convention in Philadelphia to launch his own line of tennis shoes.

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Trump is selling $60 Bibles with ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ singer Lee Greenwood

Donald Trump on Tuesday started promoting a line of pricey Bibles in a partnership with country music star Lee Greenwood, whose song “God Bless the U.S.A.” is omnipresent at the former president’s political rallies.

“All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many,” Trump said in a video on Truth Social announcing the business deal.

“It’s my favorite book. It’s a lot of people’s favorite book,” he added.

“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe that we need to bring them back,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest problems we have, that’s why our country’s going haywire, we’ve lost religion in our country.”

The ubiquitous Christian holy text is the world’s best-selling book, and churches are often more than happy to hand them out for free. The Bible is also free to read on a wide range of websites and apps, not to mention hotel rooms and other places.

The “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible” costs $59.99, not including shipping and other fees.

For that money, buyers get a range of extra features not typically included in run-of-the-mill Bibles.

The Trump-Greenwood Bible, a King James translation, includes a copy of a “handwritten chorus” to the eponymous Greenwood hit, according to the website.

It also includes the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance, the site says.

It’s the “only Bible” endorsed by either Trump or Greenwood, the site proclaims. And, it adds, it’s “the ONLY Bible inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, God Bless The USA.”

The text is also printed in a large font that highlights the words of Jesus in red, per the site.

It was not immediately clear how much money Trump and Greenwood stood to make off the promotion.

The partnership comes at an especially turbulent moment for Trump’s finances.

The presumptive Republican nominee has recently seen his net worth explode by billions of dollars, following a successful merger allowing his media company to publicly trade on the NASDAQ.

But he can’t cash in on his stake in that company for months. In the meantime, he has just days to put up $175 million for an appeal bond that will stop the state of New York from enforcing a $454 million civil fraud judgment against him.

Trump is also fighting other hefty civil judgments, including a federal jury verdict ordering him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused the former president of raping her years earlier.

Trump’s political fundraising operation, meanwhile, is falling far behind the campaign of his rival, Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden. Trump said Monday that he “might” put his own money into his White House bid.

The website selling the Trump-backed Bibles specifies that none of its proceeds will go toward the Trump campaign.

The site says it “is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.”

“GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates.”

Rather, it says it is licensed by CIC Ventures to use Trump’s name, likeness and image.

Trump’s 2023 financial disclosure shows he has made more than $5 million in speaking engagements through CIC Ventures.

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Man who said he was missionary accused in $30M scam that was supposed to send Bibles to China

A Georgia man who is considered a fugitive has been indicted on accusations that he “misdirected” $30 million from Christians who thought they were buying Bibles for China, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Instead, Jason Gerald Shenk used $1 million in payments to an online gambling site; bought diamonds, gold, and life insurance policies; and made payments to the company running his family farm among other purchases, officials say.

Jill Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, in a statement called the case “an egregious breach” of trust.

Shenk, 45, got the money from groups and individuals in Ohio and North Carolina who believed the money would buy Bibles and religious literature for people in China, prosecutors said.

The former Dublin, Georgia, resident presented himself as a missionary, according to the indictment.

He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016, and the Justice Department says warrants have been issued for his arrest, according to the indictment and prosecutors.

Shenk has been indicted on four counts of wire fraud and 37 counts of money laundering, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

There is no attorney for him listed in online court records. Prosecutors said he is being sought internationally.

Phil Helsel

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

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