Trump deletes ‘Jesus’ image after backlash from Catholics and NJ cardinal

🙏 Trump removed an AI image portraying himself as Jesus after backlash from Catholics

⚡ The post came amid a growing feud with Pope Leo XIV over war and politics

⛪ NJ Archbishop Joseph Tobin and other Catholic leaders defended the pope

President Donald Trump has removed an AI-generated image from his social media account after it sparked backlash among Catholics and other Christians.

The cartoonish image showed him appearing like a glowing Jesus Christ, in a white robe and red shawl, as he laid his hands on a sick man in bed. Other MAGA acolyte accounts had shared the image earlier this month, and many were still defending Trump for sharing it on Sunday, until he deleted it on Monday. 

The image coincided with a "60 Minutes" report on Sunday with three Catholic cardinals, including New Jersey's Archbishop of Newark Joseph Tobin, defending Pope Leo XIV against Trump's recent screed against the pontiff, who has called for peace as the United States and Israel wage war against Iran.

Speaking with reporters on Monday, Trump claimed that he believed that the image had depicted him as a doctor.

The U.S.-born pope on Monday told reporters that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration, and that his remarks were not meant as direct attacks on the president.

“I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible," the pope said.

On Monday, Cardinal Tobin said Trump's recent statements and actions regarding the pope "convey a grave misunderstanding of the Holy Father's ministry and a troubling lack of respect for for the faith of millions."

Among those who criticized Trump for sharing the saint-like image were former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a MAGA conservative from Georgia.

"On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus," she said on X. "This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!"

"Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he'd post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?" Fox News personality and frequent Trump defender Riley Gaines said on X. "1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked."

SPADEA: Pope Leo and Cardinal Tobin, just stay in your lane

Trump says Leo is not ‘doing a very good job’

Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Leo on Sunday night, saying he didn’t think the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person,” while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”

Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticize Leo, then kept it up after deplaning, in comments on the tarmac to reporters.

“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.

Trump’s comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to directly criticize a U.S. leader — and Trump’s stinging response is equally uncommon, if not more so.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

Trump repeated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”

Leo’s opposition to war irked Trump

All of that came after Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. delegation. Vance is Catholic and recently released a book about his faith.

During his evening prayer service, the pope didn’t mention the United States or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.

Leo, who is on an 11-day trip to Africa starting Monday — has previously said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” He’s also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”

Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “an entire civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable.”

Bishops say the pope is not a politician

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement saying he was “disheartened” by Trump’s comments.

“Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Coakley said.

The Italian Bishops’ Conference expressed regret over Trump’s words, and underlined that the pope “is not a political counterpart, but the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace.’'

In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. But Trump’s administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And, when Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”