Trump Repeats Defense of Christ‑Like AI Image in CBS Interview Amid Feud With Pope Leo XIV

President Trump confirmed in a recent CBS News interview that he personally posted — and later deleted — an AI‑generated image that depicted him in a Christ‑like pose, a post that drew immediate outrage from the Christian right and broader evangelical leaders. Speaking to CBS (in a segment that also addressed his public spat with Pope Leo XIV), Trump defended the image as “supposed to be me as a doctor making people better” and suggested it related to the Red Cross, insisting on that explanation even after widespread condemnation and offering no apology for the religious symbolism. Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo appeared on the CBS segment to provide on‑air reaction as the controversy became entwined with Trump’s ongoing clash with the Vatican and the pope.

Reactions on social media and among religious commentators amplified the dispute: critics pointed out that the AI depiction recast Jesus with blond hair and blue eyes, a change some theologians say panders to white supremacist imagery and warps the original source material (an altered clip that previously showed the Declaration of Independence). Supporters of Pope Leo XIV and others on platforms like Twitter framed the pope’s sharp criticism — a sermon urging those with weapons to choose dialogue over domination — as a direct rebuke to what they see as a militarized, triumphalist vision of God promoted by the Trump administration, a contrast noted in coverage from outlets including The Washington Post.

Coverage has shifted noticeably since the image first circulated: early reports concentrated on the post’s immediate removal and outrage among conservative Christian groups, while newer reporting, driven by PBS and CBS interviews, has focused on Trump’s personal confirmation that he posted the image, his reframing of its intent, and the broader political‑religious feud with Pope Leo XIV. That evolution moved the story from a social‑media outrage episode to a sustained, public confrontation over religious symbolism, political messaging, and the competing visions of faith and power at the center of the dispute.