UPDATE (1:10 P.M. ET): Trump has addressed reporters’ questions about the picture, admitting that he shared it. Trump claims that the image is not him appearing “Christ-like,” but rather depicts him “as a doctor.”

Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?Trump: 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.

— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2026-04-13T16:45:19.663Z

The original story appears below…

The Story

On Monday, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself healing the sick and wearing garb meant to make him look like Jesus Christ.

It did not go over well.

Around noon on Monday, amid widespread criticism (including from his own Christian right base of supporters), the post was deleted.

Why It Matters

It’s not unprecedented, but it is rare, for Trump to delete posts on his Truth Social website. The deletion is perhaps an acknowledgment that he recognizes the post went too far, even for his MAGA base to handle — though, Trump has not yet made a public apology, either for posting himself as being equal to Christ (which many critics called “blasphemous”), nor to the Pope for his angry screed against him.

Notably, it’s not uncommon for fascistic leaders like Trump to paint themselves as being on par with deities, especially Jesus Christ. 

From The Week in 2020:

Adolf Hitler thought of himself as the second coming of Jesus Christ, declassified documents reveal. The Fuhrer wished to be “Germany’s future Messiah” and saw himself as a “demigod,” they say. “Hitler’s conception of the Messiah is not Christ crucified but Christ furious. Christ with a scourge,” add the documents, which were compiled in 1942 by the Office of Strategic Services – a forerunner to the CIA.

How We Got Here

Trump shared the image after making a separate Truth Social post disparaging Pope Leo, who has been indirectly critical of the war in Iran, citing Gospel when asked his views on it.

Said Trump in that post:

Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. … Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!

Pope Leo, for his own part, responded to Trump’s missive against him:

I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’

What’s Next?

It will be interesting to see whether this attack on the Pope’s character from Trump will have a long-lasting impact. It may also be difficult to tell for sure, short of direct polling on the question itself, because Trump’s approval ratings are currently at the lowest seen of his second term so far, rivaling his worst numbers from his first term.