And the Declaration is not even the New Testament Steve Benen offers this recollection. I’d already forgotten: In 2017, on the 4th of July, NPR published a series of tweets with the text of the Declaration of Independence. It seemed like a simple, patriotic gesture to help celebrate our Independence Day. A surprising number of Republicans didn’t quite see it that way. The more NPR published portions of the Declaration of Independence, the more rank-and-file conservatives — who apparently didn’t recognize the words of the document — assumed that the media outlet was publishing anti-Trump “propaganda.” “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people,” one tweet read, sparking particular outrage from the right, who assumed the missive was directed at the then-Republican president. It was an early reminder, just six months into Donald Trump’s term, that many of his followers, when confronted with core American principles, would simply assume they were anti-Trump criticisms. Republicans reacted similarly to Joe Biden’s remarks at the 80th D-Day anniversary: Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida called the remarks “disgusting.” A Fox Business host also accused the Democrat of “taking veiled shots” at Trump. As New York magazine’s Jon Chait noted, some other prominent voices from conservative media had similar reactions. That’s because no matter how much red, white and blue merch they own, Cult of Trump supplicants do not believe in core American principles. In spirit, they are royalists not colonists. If not…