After criticising the Pope, Trump posts image of himself as a Jesus-like figure
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In the illustration, US President Donald Trump’s hands emit shining lights, and his right hand is touching the forehead of a man lying on a bed in hospital gown.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM DONALD J TRUMP/TRUTH SOCIAL
Claire Moses
WASHINGTON - Shortly after criticising Pope Leo in a lengthy social media post on April 12, US President Donald Trump shared an apparently artificial intelligence-generated image depicting him as a Jesus-like figure.
The image, which was posted on the president’s account on his social media platform, Truth Social, shows Mr Trump dressed in white and red robes.
In the illustration, the president’s hands emit shining lights, and his right hand is touching the forehead of a man lying on a bed, wearing a hospital gown.
The image evokes religious art depicting Jesus healing the sick.
The illustration was posted without commentary, less than an hour after Mr Trump criticised Pope Leo in another post, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
The Pope, the first American-born pontiff to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, has spoken out against the US-Israeli war with Iran, condemning the “absurd and inhuman violence” unleashed by the fighting.
Responding to Mr Trump’s comments, the Pope said on April 13 that he has “no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do”.
In the image posted on April 12, the man in the bed is surrounded by figures looking up at Mr Trump, including a person in a medical uniform with a stethoscope around their neck, a praying woman and a man in a camouflage uniform.
The background of the image includes the Statue of Liberty, a building resembling the Lincoln Memorial, fighter jets, eagles, fireworks and a billowing American flag.
Mr Trump has posted a number of apparently AI-generated images of himself on social media over the last year, sometimes drawing significant backlash.
In May 2025, after the death of Pope Francis, Mr Trump posted an image of himself as pontiff, drawing criticism, including from Catholics.
In February 2025, Mr Trump posted an image of himself wearing a crown on a magazine cover resembling Time, but called Trump, as he likened himself to a king. NYTIMES
