President Trump tweeted Saturday that he was "kidding" and "being sarcastic" when he called himself the "chosen one" to undertake trade negotiations with China. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump tweeted out the claim that Israeli Jews view him as the "second coming of God."

In a news conference Wednesday, the president defended the escalating trade war with China, saying he was the "chosen one" to take on China in trade. He tweeted Saturday that his comments were just a joke.

"When I looked up to the sky and jokingly said 'I am the chosen one,' at a press conference two days ago, referring to taking on Trade with China, little did I realize that the media would claim that I had a 'Messiah complex,'" Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday.

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"They knew I was kidding, being sarcastic, and just having fun. I was smiling as I looked up and around. The MANY reporters with me were smiling also. They knew the TRUTH. And yet when I saw the reporting, CNN, MSNBC and other Fake News outlets covered it as serious news & me thinking of myself as the Messiah. No more trust!" Mr. Trump continued.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday quoted conspiracy theorist Wayne Allyn Root, who practically declared the president the Messiah during his show the night before.

The president was criticized this week after saying Jewish people who vote for Democrats show "lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." Leaders in the Jewish community raised concerns that the president was promoting anti-Semitic stereotypes by casting Jews as disloyal. Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said the accusations have a long and disturbing history of being used against Jews.