New Delhi, Apr 14 (UNI) After massive backlash, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday deleted his picture from his social media account which showed him in Papal robe blessing a sick man. The AI generated picture showed Trump in a white Papal robe as if coming from heavens, blessing a sick man lying on bed. The background of the image included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse.
The picture was on his social media platform for nearly 13 hours.
While the image was widely interpreted as depicting Trump as a Jesus-like figure healing the sick, reports said he has shared similar AI imagery in the past portraying himself in papal robes.
Following the removal of the picture, Trump said he had not intended to appear as a religious figure, but he believed the image was of him as a "doctor" or a "Red Cross worker".
Ironically, Trump had claimed on Monday after posting the picture that "Catholics loved it." He had dismissed the backlash as a "fake news media" fabrication, while suggesting that the image might have been created by AI without his direct involvement.
The post drew significant criticism from a broad spectrum of religious and political figures, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni supported the Pope.
Pezeshkian while strongly condemning the insult to Pope Leo by Trump, said desecration of Jesus is not acceptable to any free person.
Trump's insult to the Pope came after he (Pope Leo) suggested over the weekend that a "delusion of omnipotence" is fuelling the US-Israeli war on Iran.
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump said adding, "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
Giorgia Meloni sent a message of support to the Pope for his peace mission while the leader of the main opposition party, Elly Schlein, was more direct, calling Trump's attacks "extremely serious."
Megan Basham, the conservative Christian commentator condemned the image as "outrageous blasphemy".
David Broody from Christian Broadcasting Network, said the image "crosses the line." He had called for its removal.
Bishop Robert Barron, member of a religious liberty commission created by Trump himself, called his social media statements regarding the Pope "inappropriate".
Isabel Brown, a Conservative commentator, described the post as "disgusting and unacceptable".
Catholic Democrat Debbie Dingel called the image "deeply offensive and disrespectful" to the core of her faith.
Catholic bishops in New York and the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference expressed outrage at the picturte.
The backlash was particularly notable because it included rare public criticism from his evangelical and Catholic base, many of whom viewed the AI-generated imagery as messianic and disrespectful to religious traditions.
Social media Platforms like X and Facebook saw exploding debates where users questioned if the imagery was a serious symbolic statement or a bizarre theatrical stunt.
UNI RB 1500