US President Donald Trump on Monday explained the reasons behind posting, now-deleted, AI image of himself depicting himself as a Jesus Christ-like figure, after the image sparked fierce backlash from own his prominent Christian supporters.The image posted by Trump on Sunday night depicted him in a biblical-style robe, placing his hands over a bedridden man as light appears to radiate from his fingers. In the scene, a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman, and a bearded man in a baseball cap look on admiringly. Above them, the sky is filled with eagles, an American flag, and vapor-like religious imagery.Addressing the post and defending himself, Trump said, “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross,” he said. “It’s supposed to me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. A lot better.”
He dismissed the criticism as “fake news,” though the post sparked backlash from a broad spectrum of commentators, including some of Donald Trump’s own evangelical supporters, who objected to the imagery suggesting a comparison with Christ. The post drew sharp criticism even from some conservative voices and media figures, reflecting a rare break within Trump’s usual base of support.Riley Gaines, a Fox News host and conservative commentator, said she “cannot understand why he’d post this”. “Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked,” she wrote on X. She added, “I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this,” and demanded Trump “take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”Isabel Brown also condemned the image, calling it “disgusting and unacceptable”. “Nothing matters more than Jesus,” she wrote. “This post is, frankly, disgusting and unacceptable, but also a profound misreading of the American people experiencing a true and beautiful revival of faith in Christ.”Meanwhile, Steve Deace of BlazeTV reacted more tersely, posting a single-word response: “No.”Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the post, calling it a “desecration of Jesus,” while simultaneously defending the Pope in his remarks.Amid the criticism, US VP JD Vance came to Trump’s defence saying the president meant it as a “joke”. “I think Trump was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case,” said Vance.The image first appeared in early February on X, where it was posted by conservative commentator Nick Adams, who is known for sharing AI-generated pro-Trump biblical-style visuals. In Adams’s original version, a silhouetted US soldier was visible in the background.In the version shared by Donald Trump, that figure had been modified into a horned, demon-like presence looming behind him.The image was later deleted from Trump’s account late Monday morning.
