Trump claimed the Jesus image was actually him as a Red Cross doctor, and delivered that explanation holding McDonald’s bags outside the Oval Office

Donald Trump has offered an unusual explanation for an AI-generated image he posted, then deleted, depicting him in a manner widely interpreted as resembling Jesus Christ. The former president told reporters he believed the image showed him as a doctor, not as a religious figure, delivering that explanation while holding two McDonald’s bags outside the Oval Office. As first highlighted by LADbible, the post and its removal generated significant public attention.

The image went up on Truth Social on Sunday evening, April 12, before Trump pulled it down Monday morning. It was AI-generated and showed him in a white and red shawl, with glowing hands, healing a sick patient in a hospital bed, with the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, eagles, a soldier, and a nurse visible in the background.

The backlash was swift. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called the image “more than blasphemy” and described it as carrying “an Antichrist spirit.” Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, a Catholic, described the post as “crazy” and “blasphemous.”

The explanation Trump gave reporters was not what most people expected

When asked about the image and its removal, Trump told reporters, “It wasn’t a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor.” He added that it “had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support,” and insisted the image was “supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.” On why he took it down, he told CBS News: “Normally I don’t like doing that, but I didn’t want to have anybody be confused. People were confused.”

The episode followed a public clash between Trump and Pope Leo over the US-Iran conflict, detailed in earlier reporting on Trump’s Truth Social attacks on the Vatican. Trump had posted on Truth Social criticizing the Pope after Leo spoke out against the bombing of Iran, writing: “Pope Leo is weak on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” He also claimed he does not want a Pope who thinks it is acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Pope Leo responded while aboard the papal plane, stating he has “no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel.” He said he did not want to get into a direct debate with Trump, adding: “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed.” He concluded that “someone has to stand up and say: there’s a better way to do this.”

The spat also drew a notable rebuke from within the Trump administration’s own orbit. Bishop Robert Barron, who serves on the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, publicly called on Trump to apologize to the Pope, writing on X that Trump’s comments “don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation.” He stated that it is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles governing moral life, and that serious Catholics within the administration, specifically naming Secretary Rubio, Vice President Vance, and Ambassador Brian Burch, should consider meeting directly with Vatican officials rather than exchanging statements on social media.

Despite his criticism, Bishop Barron acknowledged that no president in his lifetime had shown greater dedication to defending religious liberty, and expressed gratitude for the administration’s engagement with people of faith. He nonetheless maintained: “All that said, I think the President owes the Pope an apology.”