Trump posts AI image depicting himself as Jesus-like figure, draws bipartisan backlash
President Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image on social media showing himself as a Jesus-like figure, prompting criticism from both political parties. The image sparked a public feud with Pope Leo XIV over the content. CBS News interviewed Trump about the backlash and consulted religious expert Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo for context on the religious implications of the imagery.
Verified
- ✓Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure. (CBS News)
- ✓The image prompted bipartisan backlash. (CBS News)
- ✓Trump has been engaged in a feud with Pope Leo XIV over the image. (CBS News)
- ✓CBS News conducted an interview with Trump about the incident. (CBS News)
- ✓Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo provided religious commentary on the imagery. (CBS News)
Interpretation
- ~The image represents a significant moment warranting bipartisan political response. (CBS News framing, not independently verified as significant)
▸▾Why this is here
- Source
- @cbsnews
- Source type
- Commercial Newsroom (Tier 6)
- Content type
- Reported
- Confidence
- Corroborated
- Coverage
- 10 of 14 major US outlets
- Published
- April 14, 2026 at 10:01 AM PDT
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