On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump posted another potentially AI-generated image, showcasing a scene where he is being embraced by Jesus against the backdrop of an American flag.
In his message on social media, Trump remarked, “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” This post featured a screenshot of a previous user’s post displaying the image of Jesus with his arm around Trump’s shoulders.
This latest post follows Trump’s ongoing criticisms of Pope Leo XIV, which he has reiterated in recent online discussions. Trump also shared what seemed to be justifications for his earlier social media post that portrayed him in a Jesus-like manner, a portrayal he distanced himself from on Monday.
In one of his shares, Trump highlighted a post from a user on X that included screenshots of past tweets from the pope’s account prior to his papacy, when he was known as Robert Prevost. These tweets included critiques directed at Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“It’s fascinating to see what social media reveals about a person before they become the Pope,” the post stated, adding that before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost was vocal on Twitter, expressing views against Trump, advocating for open borders, supporting COVID vaccinations, promoting stricter gun regulations, and commenting on the George Floyd incident.
Trump responded to this by stating, “Not good!!!” in his own post.
During a gathering of young conservatives in Athens, Georgia, Vice President Vance also addressed the pope’s remarks, advising him to “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Vance emphasized the importance of ensuring theological discussions are rooted in truth, a standard he believes should be upheld by religious leaders.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded to Vance’s comments on Wednesday. Bishop James Massa, chair of the conference’s Committee on Doctrine, articulated that when Pope Leo XIV addresses the Church, he is not merely sharing opinions but is preaching the Gospel and fulfilling his role as the Vicar of Christ.
This critique from Vance came after a series of exchanges between Trump and the first American pope, who has been vocal about his desire to see an end to conflicts, including the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. “Enough of war,” Leo declared during a peace vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday.
In response, Trump labeled the pope as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” on Sunday. On Monday, the pontiff retorted, expressing he had “no fear” of the Trump administration, stating, “That’s what I believe in. I am called to do what the church is called to do.”
When the pope’s previous social media posts surfaced shortly after his election in May 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the relevance of those tweets, asserting that the president had already made his stance clear regarding having an American pope.
Since the beginning of his papacy, Leo has been a prominent advocate for global peace, consistently urging involved parties to pursue dialogue. He made a heartfelt appeal on March 1, calling for all parties to take moral responsibility in halting violence before it escalates further, asserting that “God does not bless any conflict.”
On Tuesday, Trump expressed on social media that the pope should be aware of the situation in Iran, where he claimed tens of thousands of protesters had been killed, indicating that it was “absolutely unacceptable” for Iran to pursue nuclear weapons. “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” Trump wrote.
The AI-generated image that Trump had shared, which depicted him as a Jesus-like figure in red-and-white robes, was removed on Monday following backlash. Trump clarified that the post was not intended to connect him with Jesus but rather represented him as a doctor, associated with the Red Cross, a cause he supports. “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,” he stated.
Vance suggested that Trump’s post was meant as a joke, noting that the president recognized that many did not appreciate the humor and therefore decided to take it down. “I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case,” Vance remarked during an interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
This report was contributed to by ABC News journalists Claire Brinberg and Hannah Demissie.
