Thought I was a doctor: Trump defends now-deleted AI pic of him as Jesus

US President Donald Trump on Monday defended posting an AI-generated image that appeared to depict him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, saying it was meant to show him as a “doctor” helping people, dismissing criticism as “fake news”.

“And I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Only the fake news could come up with that one,” Trump said, adding, “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better; and I do make people better.”

The image, posted on social media late Sunday and later deleted, showed Trump draped in robes, surrounded by divine light and appearing to “heal” a man--visuals that drew sharp criticism and were widely interpreted as invoking religious imagery.

POST FOLLOWS SHARP ATTACK ON POPE

The controversy comes hours after Trump launched a blistering attack on Pope Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, and accusing him of being soft on Iran and aligned with the “Radical Left”.

“Pope is wrong on law and order issues,” Trump said, in a White House address, sharpening his criticism of the pontiff’s stance.

Speaking to reporters and in posts on Truth Social, Trump said he did not want “a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon” and criticised Leo’s position on global conflicts, including the ongoing Iran war.

He also took aim at the Pope’s criticism of US actions abroad, including in Venezuela, and claimed Leo’s elevation to the papacy was politically influenced. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” he said.

POPE’S IRAN WAR REMARKS TRIGGERED ROW

The clash was triggered by Pope Leo’s recent remarks warning against what he described as a “delusion of omnipotence” fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran, along with his broader criticism of militarisation and calls for negotiations.

The Pope has also condemned the “madness of war” and urged leaders to prioritise dialogue, positioning the Church against escalating conflict.

BACKLASH, EVEN FROM CONSERVATIVE ALLIES

Trump’s post drew widespread criticism, including from some conservative and religious figures, with many calling the imagery inappropriate or blasphemous.

Despite the backlash, Trump defended the post, insisting it had no religious intent and was misinterpreted by the media.

The episode marks an escalation in the unusually public confrontation between the White House and the Vatican, with the controversy now extending beyond policy disagreements into symbolic and religious terrain.

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