Booker: Trump used religion in State of the Union address to divide

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) ripped President Trump’s invocation of religion in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, saying Trump used it to divide the nation.
“I have this belief that before you tell me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people. Here’s a guy that used religion tonight to divide,” Booker told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Booker also ripped the president’s reference to patriotism in the address, saying it did more to divide than unify.
“Here’s a guy that used patriotism — whenever somebody pulls out patriotism, uses it in a way to condemn people for their patriotic acts, how they choose to show their patriotism, this is a divisive way to go about it,” he said.
“There are so many examples of this that were just painful and not a unifying call.”
Trump referenced religion multiple times throughout his address to Congress, pledging to protect people of every creed and religion, and referencing the official U.S. motto “In God We Trust.”
“As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, and trust in our God, we will never fail,” he said.
The president also addressed the parents of two MS-13 gang victims, telling them “everyone in this chamber is praying for you.”
Trump used his 12-year-old guest, Preston Sharp, who helped place 40,000 flags at veterans’ graves, as an example of “why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
Updated at 11:15 a.m.
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