A social media post showing President Donald Trump as a Christ-like healer vanished from his platform Sunday night following swift condemnation, including from conservative supporters who viewed the imagery as sacrilegious.
The picture depicted Trump in robes with his hand pressed to the forehead of a bedridden man, surrounded by ethereal light. An orb glowed in his other hand while an American flag and Statue of Liberty framed the scene.
When confronted about the post on Monday, Trump insisted it carried no religious meaning. "I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross," he said. "Only the fake news could come up with that one."
He dismissed comparisons to Jesus as media invention. "It's supposed to be me as a doctor," Trump repeated. The White House declined to comment on why the Truth Social post was removed.
The backlash erupted swiftly within Trump's own coalition. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene labeled the image an "Antichrist spirit." Conservative activist Riley Gaines questioned his judgment publicly, tweeting that she "cannot understand why he'd post this" and calling for humility. "God shall not be mocked," she added.
Truth Social users flooded the comments demanding removal. One post that garnered over 9,000 likes urged Trump to take down the image and "offer an apology to Christians for this mockery."
The episode came just days after Trump tangled with Pope Leo XIV on the same platform. Trump called the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." When asked if he would apologize, Trump refused, doubling down on his criticism of the Pope's stance on Iran. "You cannot have a nuclear Iran, Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result," Trump said, reiterating that Leo was "very weak on crime."
The Pope responded calmly, stating he had "no fear of the Trump administration."
This marks the second time Trump has posted AI-generated religious imagery that drew Catholic outrage. Last year, he shared a picture depicting himself as pope, drawing condemnation at a moment when Catholics were mourning the death of Pope Francis.
Trump has a pattern of invoking Christian symbolism in self-referential ways. At an Easter luncheon this year, he compared his circumstances to Jesus's passion, noting that crowds now "call me king" just as they did on Palm Sunday. He also spoke of Jesus being "arrested and betrayed," relating it to his own experience. "We know the feeling," he told his audience. "Many of the people in this room went through hell."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "When your own base is telling you to dial back the messianic imagery, you've crossed a line most politicians are smart enough to see coming."
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