Donald Trump posts image of Jesus embracing him on Truth Social as feud with Pope Leo escalates
Days after posting a picture of himself looking like Jesus, US President Donald Trump has posted a second picture of himself being embraced by him.
US President Donald Trump has posted an image of Jesus embracing him, as a war of words between his administration and the Pope showed little sign of abating.
The image, reposted to Trump’s Truth Social account, shows Trump with his eyes closed, touching temple-to-temple with a similarly posed Jesus. Mr Trump is standing behind a microphone, and behind him is an American flag.
The original post had a caption that included the words: “God might be playing his Trump card!”
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Trump’s repost added the caption: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”
Earlier this week, Mr Trump posted an image portraying him as a Jesus-like figure. The post prompted widespread criticism of the Republican president, and he later deleted it.
Mr Trump, who does not attend church regularly, has a large contingent of Christian voters among his base, including Catholics. He has been feuding with Pope Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic Church and an outspoken critic of the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Mr Trump reiterated his criticism of the religious leader on Tuesday night. In a separate post on Truth Social, Mr Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
On Tuesday evening, Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said the Pope was wrong to say that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs” and that “it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
Leo said in response to Mr Trump’s previous attacks that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak out. In a forceful speech on Monday in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers who he said were violating international law, without singling out specific countries.
The online response to Mr Trump’s Wednesday post has been more muted than the outrage that accompanied his earlier Jesus post.
Yet high-profile individuals with ties to politics and Catholicism continued to weigh in on the administration’s feud with the Pope.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offered his “deepest solidarity” to the pontiff.
“Throughout mankind’s history, advocates for peace and for the oppressed have been attacked by powerful people who think they are deities to be adored,” he said in a video message.
“It’s better to have a heart full of love than the power of weapons and money.”
Some Christian leaders in Africa - where the Pope is half way through a whirlwind visit - were more philosophical.
“The church has endured emperors, revolutions, and ideological storms. It will endure this moment as well,” Cardinal Stephen Brislin, the Archbishop of Johannesburg, wrote in an op-ed in the Daily Maverick newspaper.
“But endurance is not the same as indifference.”
On Wednesday morning, the US-based Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic men’s fraternity in the world, defended the Pope in a statement.
“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” the statement said.
“The Holy Father’s words are not political talking points - they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told attendees at a news conference the religious leader had waded into “political waters.”
Mr Johnson said that he was “taken a little bit aback” by the Pope’s remarks about “’those who engage in war, that Jesus doesn’t hear their prayers’ or something.”
“It is a very well-settled matter of Christian theology,” Mr Johnson said. “There’s something called the ‘just war’ doctrine.”
Mr Johnson appeared to be referencing an address given by Pope Leo on March 29 in St Peter’s Square, when the pontiff said: “(Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood’,” citing a Bible passage.
