Texas Republican calls Trump 'almost the second coming' amid feud with Pope Leo and viral Jesus meme

By JAMES CIRRONE, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:01, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 05:04, 17 April 2026 Republican Congressman Troy Nehls said President Donald Trump is 'almost the second coming' of Jesus Christ while being interviewed by a CNN reporter on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Nehls, a 58-year-old Republican representing Texas's 22nd congressional district, made the comments when CNN's Manu Raju asked him about Trump posting a now-deleted AI image that appeared to depict himself as Jesus. 'Come on, I think that's all been taken out of context,' Nehls said. 'I do. I believe that Donald Trump is better than sliced bread. I think he's almost the second coming in my humble opinion. I think he's done a fantastic job, he's got a very difficult job,' Nehls said. Nehls said that Pope Leo XIV, who Trump attacked Sunday for criticizing the war in Iran, 'needs to stay out of the political arena'. Nehls, who was elected in 2021, has emerged as one of Trump's most ardent defenders and supporters.  During Joe Biden's State of the Union address in March 2024, Nehls wore a shirt that had Trump's Georgia mugshot on it. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas told CNN's Manu Raju that Donald Trump is 'almost the second coming' in response to a question about the president posting a picture of himself as a Jesus-like figure Trump posted the image of himself in robes and healing the sick on April 12, days after Pope Leo XIV criticized his conduct during the war in Iran Nehls, who has become one of Trump's most ardent defenders, said that Pope Leo XIV 'needs to stay out of the political arena' (Pictured: Nehls wore a  Three days after Trump was inaugurated, he co-sponsored a bill that, if passed, would rename Dulles Airport in Virginia the 'Donald J. Trump International Airport'. Trump's feud with Pope Leo began last week, when the pontiff condemned the president's warning that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' if Iran failed to meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 'Today, as we all know, there was this threat against the entire ​people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,' the pope said on April 7. 'People want peace,' he added. 'I would invite the citizens ​of all the ​countries involved to ⁠contact the authorities - political leaders, congressmen - to ask them to work for peace.' Pope Leo also said attacks on civilian infrastructure 'are against international law'. Trump had previously threatened to destroy bridges and power plants in Iran. On April 12, Trump posted a lengthy statement to Truth Social accusing Pope Leo of being 'WEAK on crime' and 'terrible for Foreign Policy'. 'I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,' Trump wrote, adding, 'And 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.' The next day, Trump followed this up by posting an AI-generated image of himself in red-and-white robes. He appeared to be healing the sick with his hands, something Jesus was said to have done in the Bible. Pope Leo XIV condemned the president's warning that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' if Iran failed to meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz last week On April 12, Trump posted a lengthy statement to Truth Social accusing Pope Leo of being 'WEAK on crime' and 'terrible for Foreign Policy' Trump quickly deleted the post after it prompted strong backlash from Catholics and even religious MAGA supporters. When asked about it, Trump said he thought the image 'was me as a doctor'.  'It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better and I do make people better,' he said, faulting the 'fake news' media for supposedly coming up with the narrative that he was being depicted as a Jesus-like figure. The pope refused to back down from his anti-war stance and said he has 'no fear' of Trump. 'I don't want to get into a debate with him,' the pope told reporters aboard a flight to Algiers on Monday. '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.' The pope was even more clear with a post on X on Thursday morning, though he did not mention Trump by name. 'Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,' he wrote. The United States, Israel and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8. The truce is considered incredibly fragile, and Iran has accused the US Navy of violating the agreement by continuing its blockade of Iranian ships through the Strait of Hormuz. A separate 10-day ceasefire went into effect on Thursday to pause Israel's bombing campaign in Lebanon. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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