President Donald Trump removed a Truth Social post on Monday after criticism over an AI-generated image that depicted him in a Jesus-like faith-healing pose. The picture, posted late Sunday, showed Trump in a flowing white and red robe placing his hands over an ill man, with light appearing in his hands and one light hovering above the patient’s head.
The montage included a number of patriotic and religious symbols: the Statue of Liberty, a large U.S. flag, fireworks, a fighter jet, a praying figure, bald eagles and figures resembling holy warriors floating in the clouds above his head. The image drew rare rebukes from some of his religious supporters.
When reporters asked about the deleted image, Trump denied that he was portraying Jesus and blamed media insinuation. “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do Red Cross,” he said. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” He made the remarks at the White House after receiving a McDonald’s order delivered by a DoorDash driver, who spoke to the media at the event.
This incident follows previous uses of religious imagery by Trump. During a 2023 trial he shared a supporter’s sketch showing him seated next to Jesus in a courtroom. He maintains strong backing from many Christian evangelical leaders and frequently meets religious advisers who cast his experiences in biblical terms; televangelist Paula White‑Cain, a spiritual adviser, once told him, “You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us.”
At the same time, Trump has at times clashed with Catholic leaders over issues such as immigration and foreign policy. Speaking at the McDonald’s delivery appearance, he criticized the pope, saying the pontiff was “wrong” and that there was “nothing to apologize for,” calling him “very weak on crime and other things” and arguing the pope’s stance on Iran was mistaken because “you cannot have a nuclear Iran.”
Edited by: Darko Janjevic