Washington, United States. US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted an image on social media that appeared to portray him as Jesus Christ, after a wave of criticism from religious leaders who accused him of blasphemy.
The image posted on Truth Social showed Trump in a white robe and red cloak, touching the forehead of a sick-looking man and shining light over his head.
An American flag fluttered in the background, among eagles and soldiers in the sky, and the Statue of Liberty next to several people who looked at the president with reverence.
The AI-generated image was posted Sunday night and taken down Monday.
Asked about the post, Trump denied that he was trying to look like Jesus Christ.
“Yes, I published it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and that it had to do with the Red Cross,” he told reporters. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I make people better. I make people a lot better.”
The post sparked a wave of outrage among several prominent conservative Christians who are among the biggest supporters of Trump and his MAGA movement.
“I don’t know if the president thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS BLASPHEMY,” Megan Basham, a conservative journalist and commentator, wrote in X.
“You have to take this back immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God,” he added.
Trump has already used religious images in his posts. During his bank fraud trial in 2023, he shared a sketch from a follower in which he was seen sitting next to Jesus in the courtroom.
His advisors have portrayed him several times in a Jesus-like role.
During an Easter lunch at the White House in early April, Paula White-Cain, a televangelist who has been his spiritual advisor, compared Trump to Jesus Christ.
“You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It is a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us,” he asserted.
