Trump DELETES 'blasphemous' Jesus image after backlash from president's closest allies

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER and JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 16:35, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 16:59, 13 April 2026 Donald Trump deleted a viral post comparing himself to Jesus Christ after it drew accusations of blasphemy from some of his most vocal right-wing supporters. The President's Truth Social account removed an AI generated image showing him draped in white with a red shawl, placing his hands, glowing with a divine light, on a sick patient in a hospital bed as a soldier, a nurse and others look on in adoration. The post was shared Sunday evening and, by the following morning, had sparked outrage among many of Trump’s own supporters, who objected to his use of Christ’s image to promote himself. Ex-Trump ally and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said the post is 'more than blasphemy' and that 'it’s an Antichrist spirit.' Hours before Trump sent out the shocking image, the President attacked Pope Leo, 70, adding: 'If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican.' 'I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent,' conservative commentator Michael Knowles wrote. Right-wing influencer Riley Gaines reacted: '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.' Although Trump identifies as a Christian, the President has at times questioned whether he would ultimately be worthy of Heaven, saying, 'I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound' and 'I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven.' Trump deleted a viral post comparing himself to Jesus Christ after it drew accusations of blasphemy from some of his right-wing supporters Pope Leo has traded barbs with the President over Trump's war with Iran Trump's bashing of the Pope and 'blasphemous' comparison to Christ come despite his closest advisors' Catholic and Christian beliefs, including Vice President JD Vance. The White House did not immediately respond for comment. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is also a devout Christian, often spotted wearing a cross at press briefings and posting about church or scripture on social media. The President's feud with the Pope was sparked when Leo, without naming Trump or the US, spoke out about war, a nod to the US offensive against Iran. After Trump repeatedly commented on the Pope's seemingly political posture, the President unleashed several broadsides against the head of the Catholic Church. 'Pope Leo is weak on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,' Trump posted on social media on Sunday, adding, 'I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.' Despite some of his supporters backing the President's comments ridiculing the Pontiff for wading into politics, the self-published image comparing himself to Christ was a bridge too far for some. VP JD Vance is a strong Catholic, and he has written book on his faith that is set to be published later this year Trump's post comparing himself to Jesus Christ came during Orthodox Easter Sunday White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is also a devout Christian, often spotted wearing a cross at press briefings and posting about church or scripture on social media 'Trumps first post was fine. The Pope has a long documented political record. The follow-up posts? Would not be tolerated for any other religion,' conservative pundit Mike Cernovich reacted to the Trump-Jesus image. OutKick host Jon Root wrote: 'This is blasphemous.' 'Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ, descending from the clouds, healing the sick, with people praying to him, is reprehensible. If only there was a qualified leader of the White House Faith Office, and not a heretic, so this wouldn’t happen or at least would be called out,' he continued. 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. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.