2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg sparked a backlash on Christmas Day when he tweeted that Jesus Christ came into the world “not as a citizen but as a refugee.”

The Democratic South Bend, Indiana, mayor wished his followers a “merry Christmas” and said he and millions of others around the world were celebrating the “arrival of divinity on earth.”

Buttigieg also noted that Jesus Christ “came into this world not in riches but in poverty, not as a citizen but as a refugee.” (RELATED: Here’s The Original Story Of What Happened On Christmas Eve)

Today I join millions around the world in celebrating the arrival of divinity on earth, who came into this world not in riches but in poverty, not as a citizen but as a refugee. No matter where or how we celebrate, merry Christmas. — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) December 25, 2019

Some Twitter users responded to Buttigieg’s tweet and said Jesus was born in Bethlehem because his father and mother had traveled to the city for a census.

“Jesus was not born a refugee,” tweeted New England Patriots football player Benjamin Watson. “Read the text. But indeed he was God incarnate born in humble surroundings, in fulfillment of prophecy, on mission to save all mankind. Merry Christmas!”

“Mayor Pete needs to go to Sunday School,” conservative columnist Todd Starnes tweeted.

“Joseph and Mary went to their ancestral home in Bethlehem for a census,” the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh tweeted. “In no sense did Jesus ‘come into this world as a refugee.’ There’s also no reason to think that Joseph was particularly impoverished. So nothing about this tweet is correct.”

“And no He wasn’t a refugee in Egypt either,” Walsh added. “Egypt was a Roman territory at the time. The Holy Family was fleeing the persecution of the client king of Judea, not the Roman Emperor. Conservative commentators suggested Buttigieg was using a leftist talking point to politicize Christmas. Jesus was not a refugee, you liar https://t.co/JELXmprbvO — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) December 25, 2019 “Liberals want to exploit your faith to gain power for themselves,” tweeted Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter. “I’m not a Christian, but this looks an awful lot like someone whose religion is not Christianity, but leftism,” added Daily Wire editor Josh Hammer. “‘Who came into this world not in riches, but in poverty, not as a citizen, but as a refugee’?” tweeted Darrell Scott, CEO of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump and CEO of the Urban Revitalization Coalition. “When did you come up with THAT load of crap? Joseph was NOT a poor man, and Jesus did NOT come into this world as a refugee from heaven. Please stop.” The Buttigieg campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.



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