US President Donald Trump on Monday removed his own social media post in which he had described himself as a Jesus-like person.
The AI-generated image, which was posted on his Truth social platform late Sunday night, showed Trump, wearing a white and red robe, laying hands on a sick person, a gesture commonly associated with faith healing in the US.
The image received a rare rebuke from his mostly religious followers on social media.
He was shown with lightsaber in both hands, including one hovering over the man’s head. The Statue of Liberty, a large American flag, fireworks, a fighter plane, a man with folded hands praying, and a bald eagle can all be seen in the background. Figures reminiscent of holy warriors are floating in the clouds above Trump’s head.
Trump: ‘I thought it was me as a doctor’
Trump deleted the photo on Monday, and when reporters asked about it, he refused to portray himself as Jesus and blamed it on the media.
“I posted it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and I had to do the Red Cross,” he said.
He said, “As a doctor I believe I will make people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
It is noteworthy that Trump gave his explanation while talking to reporters at the White House after receiving the food order from McDonald’s. An employee of the DoorDash delivery service brought food to the presidential residence and also spoke to the media at the press event.
Evangelicals are strong supporters of Trump
This is not the first time Trump has used religious images in his posts. During his 2023 bank fraud trial, the President posted a sketch of a supporter that showed him sitting next to Jesus in the courtroom.
Trump receives strong support from the Christian evangelical community and meets regularly with religious advisers, who have repeatedly referred him to the Bible.
During an Easter luncheon at the White House, Paula White-Cain, a televangelist who has served as his spiritual advisor, made a reference to them.
White-Cain said in reference to the story of Jesus and how it relates to Trump, “You have been betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. This is a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior has shown us.”
Trump doubled down on the Pope’s comments
But unlike evangelicals, Trump has not had good relations with the Catholic Church, which has been at odds with the White House over policies such as immigration and the current war in Iran.
During his McDonald’s delivery event, Trump also talked about his current dispute with Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born head of the Roman Catholic Church, who has criticized the Iran war.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. He’s wrong,” Trump told reporters.
“Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very against what I’m doing with respect to Iran and you can’t have a nuclear Iran,” Trump said.
He added that Leo was “very weak in crime and other things.”
Edited by: Darko Janjevic