Michael Hernandez
13 April 2026•Update: 13 April 2026
US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted a controversial social media post that included an AI image that depicted himself as Jesus Christ, prompting charges of blasphemy from some of those in his conservative religious base.
Trump posted the image on his platform Truth Social amid an increasingly tense public row with Catholic Pope Leo that has grown since the US president joined Israel in attacking Iran at the end of February. It is unclear why the post was deleted. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The AI image was created in the form of an Americana-heavy painting, showing Trump clad in a flowing white robe and red sash normally associated with Jesus. Trump appears to be healing a hospital patient as fighter jets shoot across the sky and quasi-angelic figures look on from on high.
Megan Basham, a prominent conservative writer, strongly criticized the decision to share the image.
"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. But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God," she wrote on US social media platform X.
The image is at least the second Trump has deleted from his Truth Social account after facing a sweeping rebuke. A racist image comparing former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama was deleted in February amid sweeping criticism.
Though the post was taken down, when asked Monday if thinks he owes Leo an apology, Trump said: "No, I don't, because Pope Leo said things that are wrong."
