An AI-generated image shared by Donald Trump on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus-like figure faced intense criticism and widespread condemnation. Even religious conservatives who normally support the former president expressed outrage over the post, which was later deleted following backlash. It was triggered by an image of Trump appearing to treat a sick person in a hospital.
He received backlash from across the political spectrum, prompting him to delete the post. At the same time, President Trump sparked further controversy by posting a lengthy message criticizing Pope Leo XIV, who has been a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operations in Iran.
According to BBCThe deleted image depicts a white-robed Donald Trump placing a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, a composition that critics likened to a traditional religious painting of Jesus healing a sick man. The background was filled with national symbols, including the Statue of Liberty, a large American flag, fighter jets, and an eagle. The scene included a mix of figures representing service and faith, especially nurses, soldiers, and praying women. Despite the religious comparison, President Trump later told reporters that he took the image more literally, claiming he was depicted as a doctor standing next to a Red Cross worker.
In a related statement, Christian activist Sean Feucht, who is working on a series of faith-based events this year to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, said: “There is no context in which this is acceptable and this should be removed immediately.”
The controversial image was posted less than an hour after another post in which the US president criticized the Pope, calling him “soft on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
The recently circulated AI-generated image is not the first time President Trump’s “Truth Social” has drawn widespread criticism. In February, a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys was posted to his account before it was deleted. The White House initially defended the clip as an “Internet meme video” and urged critics to stop their fake outrage. However, the post was deleted after intense backlash from several Republican senators, with the administration claiming it had been posted “in error” by a staffer.
