“God’s used imperfect people all through history,” Perry told the Fox News host Ed Henry in a video clip widely shared on Monday. “King David wasn’t perfect, Saul wasn’t perfect, Solomon wasn’t perfect.

“And I actually gave the president a little one-pager” – a possible reference to the short and colourful briefing notes Trump is reported to prefer – “on those Old Testament kings, about a month ago.

“And I shared it with him, I said, ‘Mr President, I know there are people that say, y’know, ‘You said you were the chosen one.’ And, I said: ‘You were.’

“I said, ‘If you’re a believing Christian, you understand God’s plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet and our government.’”