'It's idolatry': MSNBC historian scorches Mike Pompeo for comparing Trump to biblical figures

Presidential historian Jon Meacham shamed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for suggesting that President Donald Trump had a divine purpose in his foreign policy on Israel.

A reporter from the Christian Broadcasting Network asked whether Trump had been given a mission from God to "save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace," and the secretary of state said, as a Christian, he believed "that's possible."

"There is an extraordinarily important tradition in western culture, mostly in America, of separating the kingdom of the world from the Kingdom of God," Meacham said. "It's important because we're warned in the Judeo-Christian tradition that you should not put your trust in princes."

The historian explained that the wall of separation between church and state was intended to protect religion from government, and he warned that eroding those protections would corrupt the practice of faith.

"The Augustinian journey of the soul of the world trying to get back home to its real home in heaven, which is an ancient tradition, that was the central undertaking," Meacham said. "When we start ordaining and investing our mortal, flawed, frail selves with divine properties, we confuse ourselves -- it's idolatry, really."

"Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough agreed, and he called out evangelical hypocrites.

"It's idolatry, and again, evangelicals who were very critical of Barack Obama when he said things like, 'We are the ones that we've been waiting for,' and other people referred to him as 'Black Jesus,' they were so offended by that," Scarborough said. "Yet here we have people elevating this man to Old Testament, biblical stature, a man again -- you're right, all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, I have done it so much, I would never cast stones."

"But here is a man who has said repeatedly that he has never felt the need to ask God for forgiveness, he's never felt the need to ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins," Scarborough added. "It is a strange, strange thing to watch the idolatry for this man, in particular, by some evangelical Christians, who, if they actually read the New Testament, should know better."