GOP boasts Lincoln was first Republican president and the roasting was immediate

The first Republican President was in fact Abraham Lincoln.

But the Republican Party Lincoln represented in 1861 is quite different from the Republican Party today.

The GOP first emerged in the 1850s opposing the expansion of slavery, expanding a national banking system, and adding more railroads. These values would align closer to the Democratic Party today.

But Lincoln's ideology didn't stop the official GOP Twitter account from boasting about the 16th President who abolished slavery, modernized the US economy, and led the country through the Civil War.

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"The first Republican President," the GOP tweeted with a picture of the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

Sure, the statement is true but people found it ironic the current GOP would take credit for Lincoln, given his liberal ideology.

The tweet racked up over 8k likes and 1k replies, mostly from people roasting the GOP's tweet.

"Doubtful Lincoln would claim today’s GOP," Pauline wrote.

@AllyneLloyd

"A progressive liberal who believed that the federal government should override "state's rights" when it came to human rights," Keith wrote.

"Abraham Lincoln has nothing in common with today’s Republican party. Nothing. He was for strong federal government and, by the end, emancipation and freedom of the slaves. It would be more accurate if you put a picture of John Wilkes Booth up there representing you guys," Kyle replied.

@alexiskarklins

"When a political party is so desperate for a rebrand, they reach back to 1860, hoping everyone will forget that by the 1960s, they had become the anti-Civil Rights, pro-Jim Crow party and never looked back. You really think Lincoln would have had Confederate flags at his rallies?" Lisa quote-tweeted.

Due to the change in political ideology from both parties, people often forget Lincoln was a Republican.

Former president Donald Trump once claimed that “nobody ever heard” Lincoln was a Republican until he "came along".

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