Donald Trump removes AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus after religious right backlash

Donald Trump removed an AI-generated image from his Truth Social network on Monday that depicted him as Jesus, following outrage from the American religious right. Trump clarified that the image was meant to show him as a doctor healing people, stating, "It wasn't a depiction. It was me. I published it, and I thought it was me." He added, "It's supposed to be me as a doctor, healing people. And I heal people. I heal them a lot," referencing the Red Cross. The image showed Trump in a red and white toga with a halo of light in his hands, placing a palm on a bedridden man, surrounded by onlookers. The scene incorporated American patriotic elements such as eagles, the Stars and Stripes, a uniformed soldier, a fighter jet, and the Statue of Liberty. The image was published shortly after a strong message from Trump against Pope Leo XIV, who had previously criticized the war in Iran. Trump stated on Monday that he would not apologize to the Pope, calling him "very weak." Several figures from the Christian right found the image "blasphemous." Former Trumpist elected official Marjorie Taylor Greene, now estranged from Trump, expressed her indignation on X, saying, "This is more than blasphemy. It's an antichrist spirit." She continued, "Trump attacked the Pope because the latter rightly opposes Trump's war in Iran. Then he published a photo of himself as if he were taking the place of Jesus." Conservative writer and podcaster Megan Basham, usually close to Trump, also commented on X,