Trump posts image of himself with Jesus, as administration’s pope criticism continues

NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump posted an image of Jesus embracing him on April 15, as a war of words between his administration and the pope showed little sign of abating.

The image - reposted to Mr Trump’s Truth Social account - shows Mr Trump with his eyes closed, touching temple-to-temple with a similarly posed Jesus.

Mr Trump is standing behind a microphone, and behind him is an American flag.

The original post had a caption that included the words: “God might be playing his Trump card!”

Mr Trump’s repost added the caption: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”

Earlier this week, Mr Trump posted an image portraying him as a Jesus-like figure.

The post prompted widespread criticism of the Republican president, and he later deleted it.

Mr Trump, who does not attend church regularly, has a large contingent of Christian voters among his base, including Catholics.

He has been feuding with Pope Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic Church and an outspoken critic of the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Mr Trump reiterated his criticism of ​the religious leader on the night of April 14. In a separate post on Truth Social, ‌Mr Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”

On the evening of April 14, Vice-President J.D. Vance, speaking at the University of Georgia, said the pope was wrong to say that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs” and that “it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

Pope Leo said in response to Mr Trump’s previous attacks that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out.

In a forceful speech on April 13 in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers who he said were violating international law, without singling out specific countries.

The online response to Mr Trump’s April 15 post has been more muted than the outrage that accompanied his earlier Jesus post.

Yet high-profile individuals with ties to politics and Catholicism continued to weigh in on the administration’s feud with the pope.

On the morning of April 15, the US-based Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic men’s fraternity in the world, posted on X a statement from its Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly defending the pope.

“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” the statement said.

“The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points – they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told attendees at a news conference that criticism of the pope was expected, however, after the religious leader waded into “political waters.”

Mr Johnson said that he was “taken a little bit aback” by the pope’s remarks about “‘those who engage in war, that Jesus doesn’t hear their prayers’ or something.”

“It is a very well-settled matter of Christian theology,” JMr ohnson said. “There’s something called the ‘just war’ doctrine.”

Mr Johnson appeared to be referencing an address given by Pope Leo on March 29 in St. Peter’s Square, when the pontiff said: “(Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood’,” citing a Bible passage. REUTERS