13.04.2026 22:07
US President Donald Trump deleted an image depicting him as Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition after criticizing Vatican State President Pope Leo XIV.
US President Donald Trump, in a post from his social media account, criticized Pope Leo XIV.
"I DON'T WANT A POPE WHO CRITICIZES THE US PRESIDENT"
Trump, who argued that the Pope is "weak on crime and nuclear weapons" and "terrible in foreign policy," claimed that Leo XIV was brought by the Church to "deal with him" precisely because he is American and because Trump himself is in the White House.
Arguing that the Pope should be grateful to him, Trump noted: "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's not a problem for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's a bad thing for America to attack Venezuela, which sends large amounts of drugs to the US and, worse, empties its prisons, including murderers and drug dealers, into our country, and I don't want a Pope who criticizes the US President for exactly doing what I was overwhelmingly elected to do."
Trump said, "Leo should get his act together as Pope, act sensibly, stop bowing to the demands of the radical left, and focus on being a great Pope, not a politician."
THE POST REMAINED VISIBLE FOR OVER 12 HOURS
Approximately one hour after these criticisms, US President Trump shared an image depicting himself like Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition. Later, this post was deleted from Trump's TruthSocial account.
It was noted that the post remained visible for over 12 hours before being deleted.
In the US press, it was reported that the post drew harsh reactions from some quarters within the country.
JESUS CHRIST IMAGE
In the image, Trump, depicted among people praying to him and looking at him with admiration, is portrayed as if healing the person in the sickbed.
Pope Leo XIV, on April 11, while talks between US and Iranian delegations were ongoing in Pakistan, stated during a prayer event for world peace at the famous St. Peter's Basilica that displays of power and wars in the world must end.
Expressing that threats are beginning to emerge everywhere, the Pope said, "War divides, hope unites. Here, we find a barrier against that delusion of omnipotence that is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive around us."