The Republican National Committee released its official Christmas statement on Sunday — and it included a line that has some on Twitter wondering if the GOP could be intentionally trying to compare President-elect Donald Trump to Jesus.

"Merry Christmas to all! Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind," read the statement, sent on behalf of RNC chairman and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and RNC co-chair Sharon Day.

"Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new king," the statement continued.

That reference to a "new king" had a lot of people on Twitter wondering if the RNC actually just compared newly elected Trump to Jesus.

But as Jack Jenkins, a religion reporter for ThinkProgress,pointed out, the phrasing in the RNC's statement isn't an unusual way to talk about Jesus around Christmas.

Others agreed that, even in the present tense, the RNC's reference to "news of a new king" referred to Jesus, not Trump.

Before you get mad they didn't call Trump a king. They're using present tense for Jesus. RNC is still awful tho — Danielle Sepulverendoftheworld (@ellesep) December 25, 2016

But at that point, of course, the jokes had already started.

Jesus Christ and Donald Trump are alike in that they gave all the important jobs to men. — Erin GrudgePAC Ryan (@morninggloria) December 25, 2016

RELATED: See depictions of Jesus Christ through the years



18 PHOTOS Depictions of Jesus Christ through time See Gallery Depictions of Jesus Christ through time GERMANY 1899: Copy of typical catholic image of heart of Jesus Christ from Slovakia printed on 19. April 1899 in Germany. (Photo via Getty) (Photo via BBC) Stained Glass Depicting Jesus Christ (Photo via Getty) ITALY - FEBRUARY 02: Christ and Doubting Thomas, by Paolo Cavazzola (1486-1522). (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); Verona, Castelvecchio (Art Museum). (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 2010: Unknown Lombard artist (17th century), Christ Crowned with Thorns, 1600-1650, oil on canvas glued to board, 40x32 cm. (Inv. 896). Copyright Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. (Photo By DEA / P. MANUSARDI / VENERANDA BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA/De Agostini/Getty Images) FRANCE - FEBRUARY 01: Christ the judge, detail from the Last Judgement, 1585, by Jean Cousin the Younger (ca 1522-1594), oil on canvas, 142x145 cm. From the Ursuline Convent in Vincennes, France. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); Paris, MusÃ©e Du Louvre. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) ITALY - DECEMBER 13: Risen Christ between Saints Peter and Paul, 16th century, artist from the Lombard school, oil on canvas, 138x120 cm. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); Pavia, Musei Civici Del Castello Visconteo, Pinacoteca Malaspina (Art Gallery). (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 2010: Workshop of Guido Reni (1575-1642), Christ Crucified, 1640-1645, oil on canvas, 286x186 cm. (Inv. 1184). Copyright Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. (Photo By DEA / VENERANDA BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA/De Agostini/Getty Images) UNSPECIFIED - JUNE 24: Christ tempted by Satan, by Mattia Preti (1613-1699), oil on canvas, 105x133 cm. Rome, Galleria Spada (Art Gallery) (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) ROMANIA - DECEMBER 09: Christ on the Cross, detail from the altarpiece of Prejmer Fortified Church (13th century), Romania. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) MEXICO - JULY 11: The savior of the world. Mexico,18th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); QuerÃ©taro, Museo De Arte De QuerÃ©taro (Art Museum). (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) FRANCE - CIRCA 2002: The Virgin and Christ, detail from The Pieta, 1474, by Jean Fouquet (ca 1415 - ca 1481), tempera on wood, 146x237 cm. St Martin's Church, Nouans-les-Fontaines, France. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); . (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) PERU - CIRCA 2003: Christ on the cross, the Virgin and St John, 18th century painting on wood, School of Cuzco, Peru. Cuzco, Museo Del Convento De Santa Catalina (Art Museum) (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) GERMANY - CIRCA 2002: The lamentation of Christ, 1480-1490, Master of the Housebook (active ca 1470-1500), oil on panel, 131x171 cm. Detail. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); Dresda, GemÃ¤ldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Gallery, Picture Gallery). (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) ITALY - CIRCA 2002: Parma, Galleria Nazionale (Art Gallery), Palazzo Della Pilotta Lamentation over the Dead Christ, ca 1524, by Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio (1489-ca 1534), oil on canvas, 157x182 cm. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) UNSPECIFIED - APRIL 07: The face of Christ or the suffering Christ, 1515-1525, painting by Joan Gasco (active at the beginning of 16th century) from Vic Cathedral. Catalan Gothic art. Vic, Museu Episcopal (Art Museum) (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images) People followers of the Greek Orthodox Church kiss the feet of an image of Jesus crucified during the ceremony marking the Apokathelosis, the removal of Christ's dead body from the Cross, which forms a key part of Orthodox Easter, in a ceremony at the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Penteli, north Athens on May 3 , 2013. Millions of Greeks flock to churches around the country this week to celebrate Easter, the country's foremost religious celebration. AFP PHOTO / Angelos Tzortzinis (Photo credit should read ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/Getty Images) The statue of Jesus, measuring 9.5 meters and tall 7.5 meters wide, and weighting 23 tons, overlooks the valley of Slovakia's Upper Orava region near the Slovak-Polish border in the village of Klin on November 25, 2010. The statue, strongly reminiscent of Rio De Janeiro's Jesus statue, was built on Gura hill in 2008 by local carpenter Peter Ganobjak and initiated by businesman Jozef Sroka. In 2009 smaller statue of late Pope John Paul II was built and placed on the same site. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images) Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

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