US President Donald Trump deleted an image depicting him as Jesus from Truth Social on Monday, following backlash from American religious conservatives.
The former president clarified that the image was intended to show him as a doctor helping others. “It wasn’t a representation of Jesus. It was me. I did post it, and I thought it was me,” he stated, referencing the AI-generated illustration released the previous day.
“It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, healing people. And I heal people. I heal them a lot,” he added, mentioning the Red Cross.
The image portrayed Trump wearing a red and white robe, holding a glowing light in his hands, and placing his palm on the forehead of a bedridden man.
Surrounding him were figures looking on, alongside American patriotic symbols, including eagles, the American flag, a soldier in uniform, a fighter jet, and the Statue of Liberty. The scene drew stylistic parallels to Christian religious art.
Trump shared the post shortly after commenting on Pope Leo XIV, who had criticised the ongoing war in Iran on Saturday. On Monday, Trump labelled the Pope “very weak.”
The image drew sharp criticism from prominent Christian conservatives. Former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, now estranged from the president, called the image “more than blasphemy” and described it as the manifestation of “an antichrist spirit” in a post on social media platform X. “Trump attacked the Pope for rightly opposing his war in Iran and then shared a photo of himself as if replacing Jesus,” she added.
Conservative writer and podcaster Megan Basham also condemned the post. “I don’t know if the president meant it as a joke, whether he’s under the influence of substances, or what other explanation he could offer for this outrageous blasphemy. He must remove this image immediately,” she wrote on X.
This is not the first time Trump has shared religious imagery, a trend that intensified after an attempted assassination against him in July 2024.
While the president identifies as a Christian, he does not claim to be deeply observant. Throughout his political career, Trump has enjoyed strong support from American conservative Christians and evangelicals.
