Trump deletes image of himself as Jesus-like saviour after backlash

US President Donald Trump is facing increasing backlash aft posting an AI-generated representation of himself arsenic a Jesus-like fig and launching a bid of societal media attacks connected Pope Leo XIV, drafting disapproval from crossed the Christian governmental spectrum.

The image, shared connected Trump’s Truth Social level connected Sunday and deleted connected Monday, showed him successful a achromatic robe placing a manus connected a man’s caput successful a country resembling a healing. It was posted aft a abstracted connection successful which Trump criticised the pope, calling him “weak connected crime” and “terrible for overseas policy”.

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Later, Trump told reporters that, though helium had posted the image, helium thought it depicted him “as a doctor”.

“And had to bash with the Red Cross arsenic a Red Cross worker, which we support. And lone the fake quality could travel up with that one,” helium said.

He besides said helium does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.

“I don’t privation to get into a statement with him,” Pope Leo said connected Monday en way to Algiers, wherever the archetypal US-born pontiff is opening an 11-day sojourn to four African countries.

“I volition proceed to talk retired loudly against war, looking to beforehand ⁠peace, promoting dialog and multilateral relationships among the states ⁠to look for conscionable ⁠solutions to problems,” Pope Leo said.

“Too galore radical are suffering successful the satellite today. Too galore guiltless radical are being killed. And I deliberation idiosyncratic has to ‌stand ‌up and accidental there’s a amended way.”

‘Pope Leo is not his rival’

Tensions betwixt the White House and the Vatican person been gathering for months, peculiarly implicit the US administration’s hardline migration policies, its subject actions, and the US-Israel warfare connected Iran.

Senior Catholic leaders successful the US besides pushed backmost against Trump’s remarks connected the pope.

“I americium disheartened that the President chose to constitute specified disparaging words astir the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician,” Archbishop Paul S Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.

“He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the information of the Gospel and for the attraction of souls,” Coakley added.

In Las Vegas, Archbishop George Leo Thomas said helium was “grateful to God for sending america Pope Leo XIV, who is consenting to talk information to powerfulness conscionable erstwhile we request him the most”.

“Pope Leo is calling for dialog implicit diatribe, supplication implicit politics, and diplomacy supra destruction,” Thomas added.

Internationally, Trump’s remarks person besides drawn condemnation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the US president’s onslaught connected Pope Leo was “unacceptable”.

“I find President Trump’s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable. The pope is the caput of the Catholic Church, and it is close and mean for him to telephone for bid and to condemn each signifier of war,” she said successful a statement.

Criticism from conservatives

The backlash was not constricted to religion leaders, with respective blimpish figures besides criticising Trump’s posts, peculiarly the AI-generated image.

Brilyn Hollyhand, a erstwhile co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, wrote connected X:

“This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don’t request to represent yourself arsenic a saviour erstwhile your grounds should talk for itself.”

Riley Gaines, a FOX News host, a erstwhile collegiate swimmer and outspoken professional of transgender athletes successful women’s sports who has appeared with Trump astatine rallies, besides questioned the post.

“Does helium really deliberation this?” she wrote. “Either way, 2 things are true: 1) a small humility would service him well, 2) God shall not beryllium mocked.”

Megan Basham, a columnist for the blimpish outlet Daily Wire, described the station arsenic “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy”.

“I don’t cognize if the President thought helium was being comic oregon if helium is nether the power of immoderate substance oregon what imaginable mentation helium could person for this,” she wrote.

She demanded Trump “take this down instantly and inquire for forgiveness from the American radical and past from God”.

Isabel Brown, besides of the Daily Wire, said the representation was “disgusting and unacceptable”, adding that “nothing matters much than Jesus” and arguing it reflected a misunderstanding of what she described arsenic a renewed clasp of Christian religion successful the United States.

The backlash besides extended to Democrats, with Senator Bernie Sanders condemning Trump’s comments arsenic “egomaniacal”.

“Trump is present attacking the pope for speaking retired against warfare portion posting images of himself arsenic a messianic figure,” helium wrote connected X.

“This is not lone offensive. It is deranged, egomaniacal behaviour.”

Trump’s enactment among Christian voters

Trump, who does not be religion regularly, secured beardown enactment from Christian voters successful the 2024 election, including a bulk of Catholics, who backed him 56 percent to 42 percent, according to an investigation by governmental idiosyncratic Ryan Burge of Washington University.

After Trump narrowly survived an assassination effort successful July 2024, immoderate evangelical supporters described the infinitesimal arsenic grounds of divine protection.

Last year, pursuing the decease of Pope Francis, Trump besides shared an representation portraying himself arsenic pope, prompting outrage among galore Catholics.

Bishop Robert Barron, who serves connected a Trump-created spiritual liberty commission, said connected X that the president owed Leo an apology for his “inappropriate” statements connected societal media. But helium besides praised Trump successful the aforesaid station for his outreach to Catholics.