Conservatives are expressing outrage after Donald Trump posted an image portraying himself as Jesus Christ, forcing fractures among his evangelical base.
After rebuking Pope Leo over the weekend following critical remarks that the President should be a ‘peacemaker’ amid the Iran war, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Christ.
The image shows Trump draped in white with a red shawl, placing his hands, glowing with a divine light, on a sick patient in a hospital bed as a soldier, a nurse and others look on in adoration.
Behind him are some US motifs, like the Statue of Liberty and American flag. Above him are what appear to be angels. One seems to have horns.
The post has since been deleted from the President’s Truth Social account. Trump later claimed at the White House that he believed the AI image depicted him as a doctor, telling reporters: ‘It wasn’t a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one.
‘It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better and I do make people better.’
‘I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent,’ conservative commentator Michael Knowles wrote.
Right-wing influencer Riley Gaines reacted: ‘Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.’
Trump’s ridicule of the Pope got the attention of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who piled on the controversy.
‘I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah,’ the Iranian official wrote.
Ex-Trump ally and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene went further, saying the post is ‘more than blasphemy’ and that ‘it’s an Antichrist spirit.’
The post came on the heels of Trump claiming that Leo, 70, was only made Pope ‘because he was an American’, adding: ‘If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.’
Trump’s bashing of the Pope and ‘blasphemous’ comparison to Christ come despite his closest advisors’ Catholic and Christian beliefs.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. are all Catholic.
Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are all either evangelical or Protestant.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is also a devout Christian, often spotted wearing a cross at press briefings and posting about church or scripture on social media.
The President’s feud with the Pope was sparked when Leo, without naming Trump or the US, spoke out about war, a nod to the US offensive against Iran.
After Trump repeatedly commented on the Pope’s seemingly political posture, the President unleashed several broadsides against the head of the Catholic Church.
‘Pope Leo is weak on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,’ Trump posted on social media on Sunday, adding, ‘I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.’
Despite some of his supporters backing the President’s comments ridiculing the Pontiff for wading into politics, the self-published image comparing himself to Christ was a bridge too far for some.
‘Trumps first post was fine. The Pope has a long documented political record. The follow-up posts? Would not be tolerated for any other religion,’ conservative pundit Mike Cernovich reacted to the Trump-Jesus image.
OutKick host Jon Root wrote: ‘This is blasphemous.’
‘Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ, descending from the clouds, healing the sick, with people praying to him, is reprehensible. If only there was a qualified leader of the White House Faith Office, and not a heretic, so this wouldn’t happen or at least would be called out,’ he continued.
Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Tehran announcing a blockade on Iranian vessels starting Monday morning at 10.00am ET after negotiations between VP JD Vance and officials from the Islamic Republic on Saturday ended without a deal.
Trump claimed 158 Iranian naval vessels had been ‘completely obliterated’ and now lay at the bottom of the sea on Monday morning.
‘If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,’ he wrote. ‘It is quick and brutal.’
In a note to seafarers on Monday, US Central Command said: ‘Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture.
‘The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations.’
The blockade will apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian ports on either side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The President is keenly aware that a prolonged war will spark economic turmoil, with warnings over inflation as the rising cost of fuel hits American families at the pump.
Oil prices, which had tumbled with the truce, jumped around 8 percent Monday, with both key WTI and Brent contracts topping $100 a barrel.
