Trump deletes AI image of himself as Jesus amid Pope feud

In a spree of late-night Truth Social posts, Donald Trump shared an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ without comment.

He faced criticism over the image and removed it later on Monday.

When asked about the now-deleted post, Trump insisted: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”

Responses on Truth Social were atypically critical, with some followers urging the president to take the post down.

The Pope has responded to Trump’s criticism, saying he will continue to speak out against war, as we explained at 18:00.

Brilyn ⁠Hollyhand, who served as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, wrote on X: “This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don’t need to portray yourself as a savior when ‌your record should speak for itself.”

Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and critic of transgender athletes in women’s sports, who has appeared with Mr Trump at rallies, said she could not understand why he had posted the image.

“Does he actually think this?” she wrote. “Either way, two things are true. ‌1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”