US President Donald Trump has deleted an AI-generated image he posted on his Truth Social platform depicting himself as a Jesus Christ-like figure, after facing sharp criticism from some of his most prominent and loyal Christian supporters. The image, shared on Sunday — the day after Orthodox Easter — showed Trump radiating divine light from his hands as he healed a sick man in a hospital bed, with a demonic, horned figure looming in the background, alongside American symbols including the Statue of Liberty, fighter jets and an eagle.
The backlash came swiftly and from within Trump's own political base. Riley Gaines, a conservative activist and Fox News podcast host, said she "cannot understand why he'd post this" and warned that "God shall not be mocked." Megan Basham, a writer at the conservative outlet The Daily Wire, called the post "outrageous blasphemy" and demanded Trump seek forgiveness from both the American people and God. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand former Republican congresswoman from Georgia and a longtime Trump ally, captured a screenshot before the post was deleted and wrote: "I completely denounce this and I'm praying against it." Unusually, negative reactions also flooded Trump's own Truth Social page — a platform where devoted supporters almost never dissent.
When asked by reporters whether the image depicted him as Jesus Christ, Trump denied it, insisting it was meant to show him "as a doctor making people better." The original AI image was first posted in early February by Nick Adams, a conservative commentator known for sharing biblically themed Trump content. Trump's version replaced a US soldier silhouette in the background with the demonic figure.
The episode is unfolding against a broader backdrop of religious tension involving the president. Trump is currently in a public dispute with Pope Leo XIV — the first US-born pope in Catholic history — after the pontiff suggested, without naming Trump, that a "delusion of omnipotence" was driving US foreign policy, particularly regarding the war with Iran. Trump responded by calling the pope "WEAK on Crime" and claiming he was "catering to the radical left." Leo told reporters he was "not afraid of the Trump administration" and would continue to speak out. US bishops have rallied behind the pope, and international figures including Italian hard-right deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini — typically a Trump admirer — said attacking the pontiff was neither useful nor intelligent. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned what he called a "desecration of Jesus."
The incident matters for several reasons. It highlights the limits of even the most devoted political loyalty when religious identity feels threatened, with cracks appearing in a key part of Trump's coalition. It also follows a broader pattern: earlier this year, Trump shared an AI video that ended with racist imagery depicting Barack and Michelle Obama, which was also later deleted. Belgian America-watcher Björn Soenens noted that the image fits a pattern of personality cult-building around Trump, while colleague Bert De Vroey cautioned that directly comparing oneself to Christ — rather than simply claiming divine protection — crosses a line that could prove politically costly, particularly for Republican candidates who may now feel compelled to distance themselves.