United States President Donald Trump has drawn backlash after sharing an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ, intensifying his ongoing feud with Pope Leo XIV.
The image, posted on Truth Social, shows Trump dressed in flowing robes and surrounded by radiant light, appearing to perform a healing. Figures resembling angels or soldiers hover around him, while fighter jets cut across the sky, fireworks explode overhead, and the Statue of Liberty stands in the background—combining religious symbolism with imagery of American strength.
The post came shortly after Trump launched a series of attacks on the pope over his stance on global conflicts, crime, and foreign policy.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote.
“He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the fear that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian organisations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else for holding church services.”
Trump also criticised the pope’s views on nuclear weapons and US military actions, and claimed Leo’s emergence as pontiff was politically motivated.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States,” he said.
“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do…”
He added that the pope’s election was unexpected and tied it to his own presidency.
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican… Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me.”
In separate remarks to reporters, Trump said he is “not a fan” of the pope, describing him as “a very liberal person.”
The criticism followed comments by Pope Leo XIV during prayers at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, where he called for an end to escalating global conflicts and warned against what he described as a growing “delusion of omnipotence.”
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” the pope said.
He had earlier urged world leaders to embrace dialogue, stressing that “God does not bless any conflict” and cautioning against using religion to justify violence.
The rift between both figures has deepened since Leo’s election in 2025 as the first American pope.
While Trump initially welcomed the development, tensions escalated over disagreements on war, migration, and US domestic policies.
