Sarah Huckabee Sanders Faces Twitter Backlash After Claiming MLK 'Gave His Life'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders faced social media backlash on Monday after she shared a Martin Luther King Jr. Day message saying the influential American civil rights movement leader "gave his life."

"Today we honor a great American who gave his life to right the wrong of racial inequality," Sanders tweeted earlier today. "Our country is better thanks to his inspiration and sacrifice #MLKDay"

After her post went live, Twitter users quickly pointed out that King was actually assassinated and criticized Sanders for suggesting that it was a choice he made.

"He was murdered, Sarah," Justin Baragona wrote alongside a retweet of Sanders's original post.

Another user added: "Today we honor a man who was killed for speaking truth to power and encouraging others to believe in a better and more equal world. Fixed it for ya."

"He did not sacrifice his life. It was taken from him. If you're going to pay tribute to a visionary individual at least do the courtesy of getting your terms right," one user commented on Sanders' tweet.

Another user wrote: "His life was taken by racists. You work for a racist & have no shame."

The press secretary wasn't the only person from the Trump administration who received backlash on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader's life and achievements. Vice President Mike Pence's comparison of King to Donald Trump during an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday prompted a barrage of criticisms from users arguing that the two leaders stood for opposing values.

"One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, 'Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy,' " Pence said. "You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union."

"That's exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do," the vice president continued. "Come to the table in a spirit of good faith. We'll secure our border, we'll reopen the government, and we'll move our nation forward as the president said yesterday to even a broader discussion about immigration reform in the months ahead."

Martin Luther King Jr.'s son was among those that condemned Pence for the comparison. "The vice president attempted to compare the president to Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a bridge builder, not a wall builder," Martin Luther King III said today in Washington D.C. "Martin Luther King Jr. would say, 'Love, not hate, will make America great.'"

Trump made a surprise visit to King's Washington D.C. Memorial on Monday to honor the slain civil rights leader. During the visit, which lasted approximately two minutes, the president, accompanied by Pence and acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, reportedly placed a wreath at the base of King's sculpture.

Sanders did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.