Donald Trump has deleted a controversial AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ following backlash from religious leaders, who described the post as blasphemous.
The image, shared on his Truth Social platform, showed Trump in flowing robes appearing to heal a man, with figures looking on in reverence. It was removed within a day after sparking criticism from prominent conservative Christians, some of whom called for an apology.
Responding to questions, Trump denied the image was intended to portray him as Jesus, stating: “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do [with the] Red Cross… It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
The controversy comes amid an escalating public feud between Trump and Pope Leo XIV, whom the US President criticised as “weak” and “terrible” over his stance on the Iran conflict.
Trump said: “He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran… I think he’s very weak on crime and other things so I’m not” going to apologise.
In response, Pope Leo defended the Church’s position, saying: “To put my message on the same plane as what the President has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is… I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
He added: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel… I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.”
The exchange marks a rare and unusually direct clash between a US president and a sitting pope, deepening divisions as the conflict involving Iran enters its seventh week.
The incident has also unsettled parts of Trump’s religious support base, though some allies have downplayed its long-term political impact.
Source: The Australian
