Trump angers the religious right

US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Sunday depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, drawing fierce criticism, even from some religious conservatives who otherwise support him, before deleting the post on Monday.

The post on Trump's Truth Social platform comes amid an escalating feud with Pope Leo, who has criticized the US-Israeli war on Iran as inhumane. Shortly before the image was released, the president issued a lengthy attack on Pope Leo, calling him "WEAK on crime and bad on foreign policy."

Leo, the first American-born pope, responded to Trump’s attacks by saying he was “not afraid” of his administration and would continue to speak out. “I do not want to enter into a debate with him,” the pope said. “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, advocating peace, dialogue and multilateral relations.” In a scathing speech in Algiers, he condemned “neocolonial” world powers that violate international law, without specifically mentioning the United States.

Sunday's post, which shows Trump in a white robe touching the head of a lying man with an apparently healing hand, could cause a rift between him and the religious right, whose support was key to his 2024 election victory.

In the picture, Trump holds a glowing orb in one hand while touching the forehead of an apparently ill man with the other. The Statue of Liberty, fireworks, a fighter jet and eagles can be seen in the background.

The post was removed this morning. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Braylin Holyhand, who was co-chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Council, wrote on X Network: "This is disgusting blasphemy. Faith is not a requirement. You shouldn't be presenting yourself as a savior when your actions should speak for themselves."

Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and vocal critic of transgender athletes' participation in women's sports who has appeared with Trump at rallies, wrote on X Network that she couldn't understand why Trump posted the image.

"Does he really mean this?" she wrote. "However, two things are certain. 1) he could use a little humility 2) God cannot be mocked."

Trump, who does not regularly attend church, won a large majority of Christian voters in the 2024 election. He also saw a surge in support among Catholic voters, who backed him 56 percent to 42 percent, after being more divided in previous elections, according to an analysis by Ryan Burge, a political science professor at the University of Washington and a former pastor.

After Trump survived an assassination attempt in July 2024, some of his evangelical supporters said it was proof that he had been blessed by God.

Last year, after the death of Pope Francis, Trump posted a picture of himself as pope, which caused outrage among many Catholics.

In recent weeks, Pope Leo has become one of the most prominent critics of the war in Iran, even making an unusual direct appeal to Trump, urging him to find a "way out."

Lav also said that Jesus cannot be used to justify war and that God rejects the prayers of those who start conflicts. The statements were widely seen as a rebuke to Trump officials, such as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett, who has invoked Scripture to justify the use of “overwhelming, overwhelming force” against enemies and compared the rescue of a US pilot in Iran to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Trump has also occasionally clashed with Pope Francis, who publicly opposed Trump's deportation campaign, calling it unchristian.

At least eight members of Trump's cabinet are Catholic, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Bishop Robert Barron, who is a member of Trump's religious freedom commission, wrote on X Network that the president owed Pope Leo an apology for his "inappropriate" social media comments. However, in the same post, he praised Trump for his outreach to Catholics.

US President Donald Trump's statements about Pope Leo X were also described as "unacceptable" by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, toughening her stance after previously facing criticism for not directly condemning Trump's attack on the head of the Catholic Church.

"I find President Trump's words addressed to the Holy Father unacceptable. The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and condemn any form of war," Meloni said in a statement.

Meloni was the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration in 2025 and hoped their friendship would strengthen her standing at home and abroad.

But Trump risks becoming a liability, with 66 percent of Italians having a negative opinion of the American leader. Pollsters say Melo's ties to the White House may have been a factor in her defeat last month in a referendum on judicial reform.

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has also previously been closely associated with Trump, distanced himself from the US president, highlighting how the European far right is trying to move away from the MAGA orbit.

"Pope Leo is the spiritual leader of billions of Catholics, but beyond that, if there is anyone who stands for peace, it is Pope Leo, and attacking him seems neither wise nor useful," he said in a statement.

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the spiritual leader of millions of Italian Catholics, which is why politicians of all stripes shy away from conflict with him.

"It has been centuries since such an open act of aggression towards the Roman Pontiff was seen," said former center-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, adding that it was important for both Catholics and non-believers to stand up for Leo.

"He is, ultimately, a 'bridge builder,' unlike Trump, a destroyer of relationships and civilization. The only advantage is this: Trumps come and go, popes stay," he said.

This statement is reminiscent of the Italian saying "chi mangia papa crepa", which roughly means "whoever tries to swallow the pope dies" - a proverb born from centuries of tensions between popes and secular rulers.

"Trump made the mistake of the century, because the saying 'chi mangia papa crepa' has proven true again," said church historian Alberto Meloni, recalling the Italian royal family, the Savoy dynasty, which repeatedly entered into conflicts with the Vatican in the 19th century, only to eventually disappear, while the papacy survived.

Antonio Spadaro, a Roman Catholic priest and undersecretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education, said Trump's attack revealed his own weakness.

“If Leo were irrelevant, he would not deserve any comment. Instead, he is mentioned, named, challenged - a sign that his words carry weight,” Spadaro wrote on the X network. “Here we see the moral strength of the Church. Not as a counter-power, but as a space in which power is measured by a standard it cannot control itself.”