'It was me as a doctor': Trump deletes AI depiction of him as Jesus - as Vance warns Pope Leo to 'stick to morality'
The President told reporters that he did post the image, but that he "thought it was me as a doctor" while clutching McDonald's bags
Donald Trump has bizarrely claimed that he thought an AI image depicting himself as Jesus Christ “was me as a doctor” before he doubled down on his criticism of Pope Leo.
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Trump took impromptu questions from the press as he clutched McDonald's bags and attempted to explain his posting of the image, which has since been deleted from his Truth Social account.
It's a response that also saw Vice President JD Vance, the most senior White House figure to call himself a Catholic, backed Trump, telling the pope to "stick to matters of morality".
The image in question showed Trump dressed in a white robe with a glowing hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital bed.
He can be seen surrounded by patriotic symbols, including a waving US flag and an eagle flying above fireworks and fighter jets.
After the defence of the image, Trump again took aim at Leo - saying the Pontiff should stay out of politics.
In a phone interview, Mr Trump said of the Pope: "He's wrong on the issues. I don't think he should be getting into politics. I think he probably learned that from this."
This followed a rant against Pope Leo posted on Sunday in which the President insisted the pontiff "wouldn't be in the Vatican" without him after the Pope condemned the war in Iran.
Read more: Trump warns Iranian ships approaching Strait of Hormuz 'will be eliminated' as blockade begins
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said: "It wasn't a depiction.
"I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one."
The post was met with backlash on social media and by Christian figures including Sean Feucht, a performer and activist, wrote: "This should be deleted immediately."
Mr Feucht, who is partnering with the Trump administration for a series of worship events tied to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, added: "There’s no context where this is acceptable."
Right-wing commentator Brilyn Hollyhand called the post "gross blasphemy" and added: "Faith is not a prop.
"You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself."
Pushing back against Trump's attacks, the US-born Pontiff said: "I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems."
He told Reuters he didn't "want to get into a debate" with Trump.
Taking aim at the Pope on his social media platform Truth Social last night, Trump was seen to admit: "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo".
It comes after he accused the Pontiff of being "weak on crime", without citing any evidence to back up his claims.
The US President was then seen to post an AI-generated image appearing to depict himself as God.
As part of the rant, the US President criticised the Pontiff over his views on US actions in Iran - and after the religious leader spoke out following US actions in Venezuela.
On Friday, Pope Leo appeared to condemn US military actions in the Middle East, writing: "God does not bless any conflict" - an apparent swipe at Trump.
Does Trump legitimately think he’s Jesus to America?
— Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) April 13, 2026
No.
Is he trolling the Pope with the AI image?
Maybe.
Is the Pope a woke Communist (like most recent prior Pope’s have been)?
Yes.
Should Trump have posted that image even as a joke?
No.
Releasing a statement on X, the Pontiff stated that "no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood".
He did not name the US leader or the country itself directly, but did reference the "inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East".
During his online rant, Trump went on to claim that the head of the Catholic faith had only been appointed because of his American nationality.
"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican," he wrote.
Trump branded the Pope "a man that doesn't think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world."
He added: "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo."
Reacting to the spat, Reform leader Nigel Farage told LBC "I think that the Pope, the Church of England, any religious leader, should be open to mockery, cartooning, criticism. And I think this debate, particularly if we effectively have this government bringing in new blasphemy laws, is one that's got a lot, lot further to run."