Trump posts AI image of himself as Jesus, deletes it after backlash from allies

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ on Truth Social late Sunday, then quietly deleted it Monday morning after an outcry that included criticism from some of his most loyal supporters.

The image showed Trump in a white robe and red sash, laying hands on a bedridden man as light emanated from his fingers — a pose evoking Renaissance depictions of Christ performing miracles. A nurse, a soldier, a praying woman, bald eagles, military jets, fireworks, and the Statue of Liberty filled the background.

The version Trump shared appeared to have undergone additional AI processing from the original image circulated by a MAGA supporter months earlier. In his version, a soldier in the background had been replaced by a horned, winged creature — a detail that accelerated the backlash even among supporters.

Trump posted the image without comment on Orthodox Easter, hours after publishing a 334-word tirade on Truth Social attacking Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pope — as “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy. The attack drew immediate condemnation from the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The response to the image crossed ideological lines within the Republican coalition. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after clashing with Trump and her party, called it “more than blasphemy” and wrote that it projected “an Antichrist spirit.” Conservative commentator Michael Knowles said Trump “behooves” himself spiritually and politically to delete the image. Some evangelical leaders echoed the call.

Others defended it. One conservative pastor wrote on X that Trump was not claiming to be Jesus but “answering God’s call,” adding: “Trump is openly praying for the sick — and as Protestants, we still believe in the power of prayer.”

Pope Leo, speaking to the Associated Press Monday from Rome, declined to engage directly. “I will not enter into debate,” he said, adding: “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly on the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”

Massimo Faggioli, a prominent scholar of the papacy, told Reuters: “Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly.”

The image and the papal feud come amid ongoing tension between the Trump administration and the Catholic Church over the U.S.-led war in Iran, which began Feb. 28. Pope Leo has called Trump’s threats against Iran “truly unacceptable” and urged an end to what he described as “the idolatry of self and money.”

By Monday morning, the post had been removed from Trump’s Truth Social account. No statement was issued by the White House.