President Donald Trump defended a controversial social media post on Monday, telling reporters at the White House that he believed an AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus Christ actually showed him as a doctor.
“Yes I posted it, I thought it was me as a doctor,” Trump said after deleting the post from his Truth Social account. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better.”
The image, which circulated widely on Sunday, triggered immediate backlash from the Catholic community. Trump deleted the post shortly after the criticism surfaced.
Trump shifted the focus of the controversy toward the media during his remarks at the White House. He dismissed the widespread reporting on the incident, stating that “only the fake news media could come up with something like that.”
Tensions rise with the Vatican
The incident occurs during a period of open hostility between the White House and the Holy See. Trump recently issued a sharp critique of Pope Leo XIV, specifically targeting the pontiff’s opposition to the ongoing war in Iran involving the United States and Israel.
In a public statement, Trump labeled the Pope as “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.” The remarks followed the Pope’s vocal criticism of the military campaign, which began on February 28.
Pope Leo XIV responded to the President’s comments on Monday while traveling aboard the papal plane. He told reporters that he does not fear the Trump administration and vowed to continue advocating for peace despite the political friction.
When asked if he intended to apologize to the Pope for his comments, Trump rejected the notion. He insisted that he would not offer an apology because he believes the Pope has made statements that are objectively wrong.
