‘I thought I was a doctor’: Trump posted an AI image of himself as Jesus, deleted it after an outcry, then explained it over a McDonald’s delivery

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself on social media that showed him wearing white and red robes, placing his hand on the forehead of a sick man, with a bright golden light coming from his hand. The scene closely resembled traditional religious depictions of Jesus Christ healing the sick. Several other figures in the image were shown watching in what appeared to be prayer and admiration.

The post went up shortly after Trump had attacked Pope Leo XIV, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The pope, who is the first American to hold the position, has been openly critical of the U.S. war in Iran, and the administration’s immigration policies. The two posts together set off a wave of criticism that went well beyond Trump’s usual critics. By Monday morning, the image had been deleted.

Trump then addressed it while receiving two bags of McDonald’s food at the Oval Office, a staged event meant to promote the administration’s “no tax on tips” law, reports The New York Times. Trump told reporters: “I thought it was me as a doctor.” He added, “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better.” He later repeated the explanation, saying he did not want anyone to be confused and that was why he took it down.

Not even his biggest fans were on his side this time

The backlash was notable because it came from people who have strongly supported Trump. Conservative activist Riley Gaines wrote on X, “God shall not be mocked.” Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has grown increasingly critical of Trump, called it “an Antichrist spirit” and said she “completely denounced” the post.

Another conservative commentator Michael Knowles said it would be wise, both spiritually and politically, for Trump to delete the image. Even on Truth Social itself, one comment calling for the post to come down and for Trump to apologize to Christians.

Vice President JD Vance offered a different reading of the situation. In a Fox News interview where he also weighed in on Trump’s controversial comments during the war, saying, “I think the President was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor.”

According to The Hill, Trump did not apologize for the image. He also did not apologize for his posts attacking Pope Leo, which remain online. The pope, for his part, said on Monday that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and that he would keep speaking on what he believes is the mission of the church.

This was not the first time Trump had posted an AI image with religious themes. After the death of Pope Francis last year, he shared a fake image of himself dressed as a pope, which also drew criticism from church leaders, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan. All of this comes as U.S. and Iran negotiations continue to hit roadblocks, with Trump signaling he is ready to take stronger action against the country.

The image of Trump as a Jesus-like figure is said to be a slightly changed version of one originally posted by right-wing influencer Nick Adams. It was posted on Orthodox Easter, one week after most Christians in the U.S. had celebrated Easter Sunday.