Issued on: 13/04/2026 - 22:03Modified: 13/04/2026 - 22:31

Donald Trump launched an extraordinary attack on Pope Leo late on Sunday, also going as far as to share an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick. He later deleted the image on Monday following backlash from his usually loyal Christian and Catholic supporters, saying he "thought it was me as a doctor".

In a late-night rant on Truth Social, the US president lashed out at Pope Leo XIV, calling him "weak" and adding that he "wouldn't be in the Vatican if I wasn't in the White House." Some 40 minutes later, he shared an AI photo of himself as a Christ-like figure, bathed in light and healing an ill man with his hands.

This comes after the pontiff has repeatedly condemned the war in Iran and the killing of civilians, even suggesting that a "delusion of omnipotence" was driving US foreign policy, without mentioning Trump by name.

When asked by reporters, the pontiff said he "wasn't afraid of the Trump administration," that he'd continue to speak the words of the gospel, and called the name of Trump's platform, Truth Social, "ironic."

It's rare for the US president to delete even his more provocative social media posts, but the AI Jesus image sparked swift backlash from the Christian right. This included usually devoted high-profile MAGA supporters like Fox News host Riley Gaines and Christian commentator Megan Basham, who blasted the image as blasphemous.

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