When President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image portraying himself in a Christ-like role on April 12 on X, it did not take long for backlash to follow. This image sparked immediate criticism from not only political opponents, but members of his own conservative base. By the next day, when questioned about the recently deleted photo, Trump insisted to reporters at the White House, “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.” He continued,“I do make people better, I make people a lot better,” blaming “fake news” for the misinterpretation. The media, however, quickly became enraged by his futile attempts to mitigate the controversy. A multitude of videos have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram of creators plugging prompts into ChatGPT and Google Gemini that aligned with what Trump claimed the image was depicting. Only when these users included trigger words like “Jesus,” “Christ,” and “Pope” did they get similar results, adding reason to believe that his claim was fictitious. The highly criticized AI-generated photo reinforces questions about how such images could adversely impact global perceptions of the U.S., deeply offending people of Christian faith worldwide, while raising concerns over Trump’s mental fitness to lead. 

It is difficult to speculate what exactly Trump was thinking when he posted the image of himself as a Christ-like figure. The post came on the heels of criticism from Pope Leo XIV regarding the war in Iran, saying in his Easter sermon, “Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.” The image depicts Trump, cloaked in red and white robes, emanating light from his hands, with one resting on a man’s forehead. The faces of people look up at him in adoration while the American flag, a bald eagle and the Statue of Liberty are present in the background. The image appears to convey the message that he is Christ or another god-like figure who is all-powerful. This post was highly disturbing and offensive to Christians across the globe and implies that he is not only above the law, but superhuman and regards himself as above human laws and standards of morality. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to the Trump-Christ image by calling it a “desecration of Jesus.” What’s more, after the apex of Trump’s AI posts, the European Union’s main institution banned its staff from using AI-generated content in any form. 

Some reporters question Trump’s authority to such an extent that they have speculated that his claim—the image being intended to picture him as a doctor—is nothing more than an act of idiocy and confusion on the president’s end. Specifically, after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the image, saying, “President Trump’s Truth Social post depicting him as Jesus was a doctored image,” the message spread like wildfire. The working theory is that this was the White House’s damage control, a lie being spun to cover up the controversy. Then Trump misunderstood and got confused when told to say that the image was “doctored,” mixing it up with being a “doctor.” Politicians and writers like Manny Fidel have quickly caught on to this theory—which is now gaining traction on X. Some users have even commented how this explanation makes more sense than Trump actually believing that he was meant to be depicted as a doctor. Whether or not the theory is true, if it scares you that American citizens believe that their president could make such a careless—and frankly stupid—error this easily, it should. 

Last year, Trump posted an AI image of himself as pope, dressed in papal robes. This was posted to his Truth Social platform on May 2, and was later shared by the White House on its official X account. This followed Trump’s prior joke that he would “like to be pope.” In similar fashion, over the summer he posted an image of himself as Superman with the caption, “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE…SUPERMAN TRUMP.” Such images are alarming within the context of recent events, including his decision to wage war against Iran without congressional approval, his threats to wipe out the entire civilization of Iran, and his refusal to be held accountable for a multitude of crimes. 

These controversial, religious-themed images are only a few examples of Trump’s use of AI-generated material, as a previous post made by Trump on February 2 features Barack and Michelle Obama on the heads of primates in a jungle with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing in the background, diminishing people of color to animals. The video was quickly deleted, and the White House blamed a staffer for “erroneously” posting the clip. Trump denied any wrongdoing, stating “I didn’t make a mistake,” when asked if he would apologize to the Obamas. Barack Obama, however, viewed the circumstances very differently and claimed that most Americans find it “deeply troubling,” during an interview with journalist Bryan Tyler Cohen. He added that Trump’s use of social media can only be paralleled to a “clown show.” This is not Trump’s first time making racially charged statements against Black people, nor using AI to do so. He has a long history of using derogatory language to describe African countries and has pushed a false narrative that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. Prior to his reelection, Trump reposted an AI-generated video with the headline “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW” on Truth Social of Obama being arrested in the Oval Office, alongside a smiling Trump. The video showed F.B.I. agents storming into the building, forcing Obama to his knees, and later portraying him in a jail cell. 

Trump’s usage of AI has continued to extend far beyond mere images, and is not limited to depictions of himself as a holy or supernatural figure. In October of 2025, Trump released a nineteen-second AI clip of himself, decorated in a crown and U.S. Air Force uniform, flying a “KING TRUMP” fighter jet, dropping a slew of feces on U.S. No Kings protesters. These rallies began in June 2025, and were organized against Trump and his administration for an unchecked agenda that mirrored that of a king. In response, Trump dogmatically exclaimed, “You know, they’re referring to me as a king… I’m not.” 

Trump’s AI usage can only be described as one thing: inexcusable. Some would argue that these images are innocuous, but the fact is that these images, being highly offensive, disturbing and provocative in nature, have the potential to cause real harm. At best, it is behavior unbecoming of the American president. At worst, these images have the capacity to incite anger, perpetuate racism, and deeply offend voters, many of whom constitute his base. David Gibson, the director of the Center for Religion and Culture at Fordham University, a Jesuit university, said to Reuters that it was difficult to understand why Trump would post such an image and stated, “This is a watershed moment—will Catholics in America choose the pope or the president?”