(BBC) Faced with growing backlash, US President Donald Trump appears to have removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure.
The AI-generated image, which showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed, sparked fierce backlash from both sides of the US political spectrum, including from some of Trump’s most ardent supporters.
The post came just hours after Trump posted a lengthy message criticising Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.
Trump acknowledged posting the picture, telling reporters he thought it was “me as a doctor”.
The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.
The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.
Speaking to reporters several hours after it was removed, Trump said he believed the image depicted him as a doctor next to a Red Cross worker.
“It’s supposed to be as a doctor making people better,” he said. “And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
Criticism of the image came swiftly, including from figures considered close to Trump and the administration.
“This should be deleted immediately,” wrote Sean Feucht, a Christian activist who is working on a series of faith-based events to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence this year.
“There’s no context where this is acceptable,” he added.
Riley Gaines, a prominent conservative activist, wrote that “God shall not be mocked”.
Much of the criticism also came from faith-based US news outlets.
“This goes too far. It crosses the line,” wrote David Brody, a journalist with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “A supporter can back the mission and reject this.”
The controversial image was posted less than an hour after a separate post from the US president in which he criticised the pope, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.