Shortly after attacking the Pope on Sunday evening, Donald Trump followed up with another Truth Social post: An AI generated image that made him appear as Jesus Christ.
But that post disappeared as of Monday, after a backlash that brought criticism from some of his supporters. Riley Gaines, the podcaster, wrote on X, “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”
David Brody, host on Real America’s Voice, wrote, “TAKE THIS DOWN, MR. PRESIDENT. You’ve been credited with doing tons right since that ride down the golden escalator in 2015—defending Judeo-Christian values and taking hits for it. That’s great. But this isn’t just some meme we laugh off and scroll past. It deserves a response. You’re not God. None of us are. This goes too far. It crosses the line. A supporter can back the mission AND reject this simultaneously. Take it down. Agree or disagree? What am I missing?”
The furor over the post had similarities to one last year, when Trump posted an image of himself as pope, just as cardinals were about to start their conclave to elect a new pontiff. Despite drawing condemnation from some Catholic leaders, the post remains on Truth Social.
Trump also has not deleted his Sunday evening post about Pope Leo, in which he called the pontiff “weak” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
Trump wrote, “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
The pope has been particularly outspoken about the war in Iran.
The pope told reporters on Monday that “I have no fear of the Trump administration nor speaking out about the message of the Gospel,” the pope said.
He said, “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the gospel, of inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges for peace and reconciliation, of looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible. To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is.”
