Donald Trump reposts picture edited with Jesus, days after posting himself as a Jesus figure
Donald Trump has shared an image of Jesus embracing him on social media, as tensions between his administration and Pope Leo XIV continue to escalate.
The image, reposted to Trump’s Truth Social account on Wednesday (15 April), shows him standing behind a microphone with an American flag in the background, touching foreheads with a figure depicting Jesus.
Source: @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social
Trump says image is ‘quite nice’ despite criticism
Trump added his own message when reposting it, saying: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!”
The post comes a couple of days after Trump had shared another image portraying himself as a Jesus-like figure.
This drew widespread criticism from religious leaders, and the post has since been deleted.
Source: @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social
Feud shows no sign of easing
The image was shared amid a growing war of words between Trump and Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff, who has been outspoken about the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
The US president targeted People Leo in a separate social media post on 14 April.
“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote.
Pope Leo, who has criticised global military actions in recent speeches, responded earlier that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue speaking out, Politico reported.
In a 13 April speech, he denounced “neocolonial” powers for violating international law, though he did not name specific countries.
JD Vance: Pope Leo should ‘be careful’ when talking about theology
Vice President of the United States JD Vance also weighed in, saying Pope Leo should “be careful” when speaking on theology, particularly regarding comments that Jesus is not on the side of those who wage war.
Source: JD Vance on Facebook
Speaking at an event in Georgia, Vance argued that such views did not account for historical conflicts like World War II, where he said US actions were justified, CNN reported.
“It’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” he said.
The Knights of Columbus, one of the largest Catholic organisations in the US, issued a statement defending Pope Leo.
“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” the statement said.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Donald J. Trump on Facebook and @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social.
