President Donald Trump has sparked controversy after sharing an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting him as a Christ-like figure.
In the now-deleted post seen by TNX Africa, Trump is shown in a white robe and red sash, placing a hand on a sick man.
The image includes a uniformed army officer, a female nurse, a man in a cap and a woman in a prayer-like pose, all appearing to look to him for guidance.
Above, a beam of light is shown alongside an American flag, an eagle, the Statue of Liberty and five unidentified figures holding hands.
Responding to the backlash, Trump dismissed the interpretation.
“I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross, which we support. Only the fake news can come up with that one. I just heard about it and wondered how they came up with that. It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better and I do make people better.”
The post came shortly after Trump criticised Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in a Truth Social post.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” he wrote, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Trump, who was travelling from Florida to Washington at the time, repeated his remarks to reporters on the runway.
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
He also accused the Pope of criticising US policy on Iran and Venezuela, defending American actions in earlier posts, including claims that Venezuela was sending drugs and criminals into the United States.
Trump added, “Leo should be thankful because… he was a shocking surprise… If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Pope Leo XIV responded on Monday, saying, “I have no fear of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel,” adding that his mission “goes beyond politics.”
Reactions online were divided.
Instagram user Plies wrote, “He deleted the Jesus post but not the monkey post. It lets you know about who he cares about offending.”
Another user, Alpha from Ghana, said, “The fact that this behavior has become normalized is insane.”
US Vice President JD Vance defended Trump, calling the post and deletion a “joke” and saying “a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor.”