Dylan Brachna
April 17, 2026
President Donald Trump was caught in some backlash this past week as an AI generated image of him depicted as a Jesus-like figure was posted on his Truth Social page. The post was made just shortly after criticizing Pope Leo XIV, who is a critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.
The picture had Trump in a white robe with a red scarf with a yellow aurora in his hands as his right hand is placed on a patient in a hospital bed with the family surrounding them. The background was a sky with the American flag, and other symbols of patriotism such as the Bald Eagle, the Statue of Liberty, a fighter jet, and military veterans.
Trump stated “It wasn’t a picture [of him as Christ], I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross. There’s a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
He also stated, “The radical LEFT LUNATICS may not like this, but I think it’s quite nice,” regarding an AI-generated image where Jesus was embracing Trump. The president has supporters, critics, and everything in between who are upset with these comments and the image. Thiel College Junior Kaden Drew says, “I am confused how such an image can depict him as a doctor, when he was clearly depicted as Jesus.”
This also is not the first time Trump has used an AI image that has struck controversy. Conservative commentator Cadence Owens posted on her twitter, “It’s called political prostitution. Their ideas are whatever the highest bidder wants their ideas to be.”
Despite receiving backlash from many voices across partisan lines, officials in the Trump administration jumped to his defense, such as Vice President JD Vance. Discussing the Truth Social post, Vance went on to say, “I think the president was posting a joke, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.” Trump offered a different explanation to reporters, saying he thought the image depicted himself as a doctor or Red Cross worker. “Only the fake news could come up with that one,” Trump said.
