An AI-generated image showing President Trump in Jesus-like robes healing a sick man appeared Sunday on Truth Social and drew a swift, bipartisan rebuke from religious conservatives who rarely push back on the president.
President Donald Trump lit a fire among his own base Sunday night, posting an AI-generated image depicting himself as a healing, robed figure strikingly similar to Jesus Christ and then deleting it Monday morning after a wave of outrage that, unusually, came loudest from inside his own coalition.
The image, shared to Trump’s Truth Social account without accompanying text, showed the president draped in white and red robes, one hand glowing with apparent divine light, the other pressed to the forehead of a prone sick man. In the background: an American flag, the Statue of Liberty, fighter jets, bald eagles, and ascending soldiers. Also noted by social media users a horned, winged creature tucked behind the president’s left shoulder, apparently introduced in an additional round of AI processing after the original fan-made image circulated.
The post went up roughly 40 minutes after Trump had posted a lengthy, scorched-earth attack on Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, calling the first American-born pope “WEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The pope, a vocal critic of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and what he described as the administration’s “extremely disrespectful” treatment of undocumented immigrants, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration in recent months.
“This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself.“— Brilyn Hollyhand, former co-chair, Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council
The responses from Trump’s most loyal supporters were striking in their directness. Conservative commentator Riley Gaines, a frequent White House guest who has appeared at Trump rallies, wrote that she could not understand why the president posted the image, adding that “God shall not be mocked” a scripture reference. Conservative Catholic podcaster Michael Knowles, of The Daily Wire, wrote that it “behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture.” Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress earlier this year, called the image an expression of “an Antichrist spirit.”
Megan Basham, a prominent conservative Protestant writer, wrote that she did not know whether Trump was being funny or was “under the influence of some substance,” calling the post “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy.” The Knights Templar International a pro-Trump group issued a formal demand the image be removed and called for a public apology.
By Monday morning, the post was gone. Explaining himself to reporters, Trump said he had thought the image depicted him as a doctor a Red Cross worker. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better,” Trump said. The White House declined to respond to questions about the post.
“It’s ironic the name of the site itself. Say no more.” – Pope Leo XIV, responding to Trump’s attacks while traveling from Rome to Algiers, referring to Truth Social
The pope, for his part, was composed when reporters reached him Monday. “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” he said, adding that he would continue pressing for peace over conflict. “Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
The episode puts a rare crack in what has been near-unconditional backing from evangelical and conservative Catholic communities groups that were critical to Trump’s 2024 victory. A recent NBC poll found that U.S. registered voters now view the pope more favorably than the president, with 42 percent holding a positive view of Leo compared to 41 percent favorable for Trump. A prior poll noted belief that Trump was acting ethically had dropped among white Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, and other religious groups alike.
The White House has eight Catholics in the cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Bishop Robert Barron, who serves on Trump’s own religious liberty commission, said online that the president owed Pope Leo an apology for his remarks.
Trump & the Jesus Image — Q&A
Why did Trump delete the post?
Backlash came rapidly from his own base conservative evangelicals, Catholic influencers, and political allies publicly called the image sacrilegious. Trump told reporters Monday he thought the image depicted him as a doctor, not a religious figure.
Why did Trump attack Pope Leo in the first place?
Pope Leo XIV has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. military campaign against Iran, calling the war “inhumane” and urging Trump toward a diplomatic off-ramp. He has also criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement as “extremely disrespectful.” Trump has responded with escalating social media attacks, calling the pope weak and unsuitable for the role.
How significant is the religious right’s reaction?
Significant. These are communities that have largely given Trump uncritical support. That figures like Riley Gaines, Michael Knowles, and Brilyn Hollyhand all publicly allied with Trump immediately and publicly condemned the post suggests a genuine line was crossed for faith-based conservatives.
What did the original image look like before Trump shared it?
The original AI-generated image, created by a MAGA fan months earlier, featured Trump in white robes healing a man surrounded by U.S. soldiers and patriotic imagery. The version Trump posted appears to have been run through additional AI processing, with the soldier behind Trump replaced by a three-horned, winged creature a detail that drew additional scrutiny online.
