--- title: Catholic Vance Breaks Silence on Trump's Jesus-Like Image Amid Outcry description: The Vice President, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also remarked on the heightened tension between the Trump Administration and the Vatican. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/04/14/catholic-vance-breaks-silence-on-deleted-trump-jesus-image-amid-outcry/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-04-14T13:30:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-15T04:00:00.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Catholic Vance Breaks Silence on Trump's Jesus-Like Image Amid Outcry From Other Conservatives og:description: The Vice President, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also remarked on the heightened tension between the Trump Administration and the Vatican. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/04/14/catholic-vance-breaks-silence-on-deleted-trump-jesus-image-amid-outcry/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a7e182c90bcd5a4/69de2a12fed39a7e52c9dfa0/trump-jesus-post-apr13.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: trump-jesus-post-apr13.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Catholic Vance Breaks Silence on Trump's Jesus-Like Image Amid Outcry From Other Conservatives twitter:description: The Vice President, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also remarked on the heightened tension between the Trump Administration and the Vatican. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a7e182c90bcd5a4/69de2a12fed39a7e52c9dfa0/trump-jesus-post-apr13.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Catholic Vance Breaks Silence on Trump's Jesus-Like Image Amid Outcry From Other Conservatives > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Trump Tries to Explain Away Posting an AI Image Likening Himself to Jesus [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Tries to Explain Away Posting an AI Image Likening Himself to Jesus](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IkclD529.m3u8) (0:35)  _Published 2026-04-14. President Donald Trump has a habit of using AI-generated content to spice up his social media. But his latest post—a picture that appeared to depict him as Jesus, bathed in ethereal light and laying hands on a sick man—drew such an outcry that Trump took it down. “I thought it was me as a doctor,” Trump told reporters Monday, April 13, suggesting that the photo had references to the humanitarian organization Red Cross. Jesus? “Only the fake news could come up with that one,” Trump added._ by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Apr 15, 2026 4:00 AM UTCPublished: Apr 14, 2026 1:30 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump and an AI-generated picture he posted on his Truth Social platform, seemingly depicting himself as Jesus Christ. U.S. President Donald Trump and an AI-generated picture he posted on his Truth Social platform, seemingly depicting himself as Jesus Christ. Mandel Ngan—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Apr 15, 2026 4:00 AM UTCPublished: Apr 14, 2026 1:30 PM UTC Vice President [J.D. Vance](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273798/jd-vance/), a Catholic, has downplayed President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7382697/trump-iran-war/)’s posting—and deleting—of an AI-generated Jesus-like image which has sparked backlash among Christians and conservatives. “I think the President was posting a joke,” Vance said Monday of the image that depicted Trump as a robed figure with light emanating from his hands. “Of course, he took it down because he recognized a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.” He went on to [say](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393047681112) the President “likes to mix it up on social media” and he thinks that’s one of the “good things” about him as he’s “not filtered.” Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019 and recently announced an [upcoming memoir on his faith](https://x.com/JDVance/status/2038982807536492876), also remarked on the tension between the Trump Administration and the Vatican. While Vance acknowledged there are bound to be “disagreements on matters of public policy” and said it’s “reasonable,” he argued that “in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality… and let the President stick to dictating American public policy.” On Tuesday, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Ga., Vance said that he has no issue with the Pope weighing in on issues like immigration or “matters of war and peace,” but he appeared to criticize Pope Leo for his comments on the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran and other conflicts in the Middle East. The Pope [posted](https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2042588417578668338) last week, “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” “How can you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?” Vance questioned at the event, citing the liberation of France from Nazi Germany by U.S. troops during World War II as an example in which he thought God was “on the side of the Americans.” “Now we can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just,” Vance said. “But I think in the same way that it’s important for the Vice President of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” President Trump recently publicly criticized Pope Leo, [accusing](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431) him of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after he [called for an end to the Iran war.](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2026/documents/20260411-rosario-pace.html) Trump, meanwhile, offered his own explanation of the “joke” post when approached by reporters at the White House on Monday and insisted it wasn’t intended to be a Jesus-like depiction. “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor,” he [said](https://time.com/article/2026/04/14/trump-jesus-christ-ai-image-backlash/). “It had to do with \[the\] Red Cross, there’s a Red Cross worker there, which we support.” Seemingly blaming the outcry on the media, he added: “Only the fake news could come up with that one.” But many high-profile conservatives, some of whom are known to be supporters of Trump, have criticized the image.  President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2026. Aaron Schwartz—Getty Images Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio [referred](https://x.com/WarrenDavidson/status/2043704486821068940) to the post as “troubling.” “While there may be a method to the madness, this Truth Social post can only be described as madness. Very troubling,” he said. Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was once among Trump’s most vocal and ardent supporters [before their alliance broke down last year](https://time.com/7334415/trump-marjorie-taylor-greene-relationship-breakdown-epstein-disagreements/), went a step further, suggesting the image was blasphemous. “On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus,” [she said](https://x.com/FmrRepMTG/status/2043520511993434587). “I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it.” Conservative activist Riley Gaines also criticized the image, saying “a little humility” would serve Trump well. “God shall not be mocked,” she [insisted](https://x.com/Riley%5FGaines%5F/status/2043631814963503150). Trump, after deleting the post, said Gaines' criticism did not impact his decision, arguing: "I didn't listen to Riley Gaines. I'm not a big fan of Riley, actually." Trump Tries to Explain Away Posting an AI Image Likening Himself to Jesus Gaines later celebrated the removal of the post which “[missed the mark](https://x.com/Riley%5FGaines%5F/status/2043856732410007624)” and said she would continue supporting Trump and the “America first agenda.” This isn’t the first time Trump has shared an image that appears to depict him as a religious figure. After the death of Pope Francis last year, and amid conversations about who might succeed him, [Trump posted an AI-Generated image of himself as a Pope](https://time.com/7282376/president-trump-as-pope-image-social-media-papal-conclave-comments/), just days after joking he'd like to be the next Pontiff. The image encountered a mixed response, with one critic saying it was "[rather offensive](https://x.com/latinedisce/status/1918536067495428564) for Catholics." Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, was among those to [critique the post](https://x.com/MichaelSteele/status/1918646789818790321), referring to Trump as "unserious and incapable.” _—Miranda Jeyaretnam contributed reporting._ ## Transcript Mr. President, did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ? Well, it wasn't a picture. It was me. 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. And, uh, only the fake news could come up with that one. So I, I, uh, I just heard about it and I 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. 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