Faced with growing backlash, US President Donald Trump appears to have removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure.
The AI-generated image, which showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed, sparked fierce backlash from both sides of the US political spectrum, including from some of Trump’s most ardent supporters.
The post came just hours after Trump posted a lengthy message criticising Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.
The BBC has contacted the White House for clarification on why the post was removed.
The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.
The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.
Criticism of the image came swiftly, including from figured considered close to Trump and the administration.
“This should be deleted immediately,” wrote Sean Feucht, a Christian activist who is working on a series of faith-based events to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year.”
“There’s no context where this is acceptable,” he added.
Source: BBC
-- Agencies
