Donald Trump has once again shared an AI-generated religious-themed portrayal of himself, along with a peculiar caption suggesting that “God might be playing his Trump card.” On his Truth Social account, the US president posted a screenshot of an image depicting a Jesus-like figure embracing him, in a move seen as contentious amidst his ongoing disagreement with Pope Leo XIV, a prominent critic of US and Israeli actions towards Iran.
The image, originally posted by the account “Irish for Trump” (@Dkelly4congress), features a figure resembling Jesus standing next to Trump with arms around him. The caption accompanying the image reads: “I was never a very religious man… but doesn’t it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed… that God might be playing his Trump card!”
Trump shared the image and caption, expressing that although some may object to the depiction, he personally finds it “quite nice.” This release follows a previous incident where Trump posted and later removed an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure seemingly performing a healing act in a hospital setting.
The initial Truth Social post, which was taken down the next day, received criticism from various political circles in the US, including some of Trump’s supporters who deemed it blasphemous. Trump later explained to CBS News that he removed the image to avoid confusion among viewers, particularly considering the significant Catholic population in the US.
Prior to sharing the controversial image, Trump launched a scathing criticism of Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, criticizing his stance on crime and foreign policy issues. Trump also suggested that the Pope’s election might have been influenced by the desire to counter Trump’s presidency.
In response to the public backlash, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the perceived disrespect towards Jesus while expressing support for the Pope. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Catholic and a Trump ally, deemed Trump’s comments about the Pope as unacceptable, emphasizing the Pope’s role in advocating for peace.
Pope Leo XIV, undeterred by the criticism, asserted his commitment to spreading the message of the Gospel fearlessly during a media interaction on Monday.