Trump deletes post depicting him as Jesus-like figure after backlash

U.S. President Donald Trump has deleted an AI-generated image portraying himself as Jesus, after facing backlash from Christian commentators who described it as “blasphemous.”

The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.

The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets, and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying, and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.

The post came just hours after Trump posted a lengthy message criticising Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.

Speaking to reporters several hours after it was removed, Trump said he believed the image depicted him as a doctor next to a Red Cross worker.

“It’s supposed to be as a doctor making people better,” he said. “And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”

He also doubled down on his scathing remarks toward the Pope and told reporters that he would not apologize because “Pope Leo said things that are wrong.”