President Donald Trump said Monday afternoon that he posted the image widely perceived as depicting himself as Jesus Christ, but told reporters that he believed the image showed him as a doctor, not the Son of God.
Trump deleted the image from his Truth Social account on Monday morning after backlash from his Christian supporters, some of whom called the image “outrageous” and “blasphemous.”
“I did post it and thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump said. “Only the fake news could come up with that one. I just heard about it and said, ‘How did they come up with that?’ It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better.”
.@POTUS: “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support… It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.” pic.twitter.com/90wyeq1uaa
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 13, 2026
The image showed Trump, dressed in a white tunic and red robe, appearing to heal a man in a hospital bed. It also showed a nurse looking up at Trump and another woman who appeared to be praying as she watched Trump heal the sick man. The image appears to have originated on social media in February when conservative social media personality Nick Adams shared it on X with the caption, “America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation.”
Screenshot: Truth Social
Trump’s controversial post came shortly after the president’s spiritual adviser, Paula White, compared Trump’s civil and legal trials in recent years to what Jesus endured before dying on the cross.
“President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price,” White said next to Trump during an Easter event at the White House. “It almost cost you your life. You were betrayed and arrested, and falsely accused. It’s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us. But it didn’t end there for him, and it didn’t end there for you.”
Trump shared the image on Truth Social on Sunday night, less than one hour after he blasted Pope Leo XIV in another post, calling the pope “weak” and suggesting he didn’t deserve to be chosen for the position. The pope has been critical of Trump’s immigration policies and the military campaign against Iran.
