\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2026\/04\/13225406ed610ff.webp\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a picture that he posted on Truth Social, which depicted him as a Jesus-like figure and has now been deleted, was actually supposed to show him as a doctor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd only fake news could come up with that one. I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that. It\u2019s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House when he was asked whether he had posted the picture.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The AI-generated image of Trump as a Jesus-like figure drew widespread \u200bcriticism, even from some religious conservatives who typically support him.<\/p>\n It depicted Trump in a white robe with an apparently healing hand on a prone man\u2019s head.<\/p>\n In the painting-like image posted on Sunday, Trump was seen holding a glowing orb \u200bin one hand and using his other hand to touch a seemingly sick man on the forehead. The Statue of Liberty, fireworks, a fighter jet and eagles \u200bcould be seen in the background.<\/p>\n The post could create a \u2060rift between Trump and the religious right, whose support was critical to his victory in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n It came \u200camid his escalating feud<\/a> with Pope Leo, who has criticised the US-Israeli war on Iran as inhumane.<\/p>\n Shortly before publishing the image, the president posted a lengthy screed against Pope Leo, calling him \u201cWEAK on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Leo, the first US-born pope, said in response to Trump\u2019s attacks that he had \u201cno fear<\/a>\u201d of the Trump administration and would continue to \u200bspeak out.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Trump\u2019s post was removed on Monday morning.<\/p>\n Brilyn Hollyhand, who served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, wrote about the post on X: \u201cThis is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don\u2019t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record \u200bshould speak for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and outspoken critic of transgender athletes in women\u2019s sports who has appeared with Trump at rallies, wrote \u200bon X she could not understand why Trump posted the image.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes he actually think this?\u201d she wrote. \u201cEither way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well \u200c2) God \u2060shall not be mocked.\u201d<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Trump won large majorities of Christian voters in the 2024 election. He made gains among Catholic voters, who backed him by a 56 per cent to 42pc margin after splitting more evenly in previous elections, according to an analysis by Ryan Burge, a political science professor at Washington University and a former pastor.<\/p>\n After Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt<\/a> in July 2024, some evangelical supporters said it was evidence he had been blessed by God.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n