An artificial intelligence (AI) generated picture posted by U.S. President Donald Trump, depicting him as Jesus Christ “blessing a sick man”, has resulted into a major political controversy, even as Trump also made strong statements against Pope Leo XIV, saying he is “weak on crime.”

The AI generated picture showed Trump wearing long robes and blessing a sick man, with the American flag and military aircraft in the background. The post, which was uploaded on Trump’s Truth Social account, quickly went viral and received mixed reactions. While some people supported him, many criticized the image, calling it disrespectful and inappropriate.

Later, Trump deleted the post after facing criticism on social media for sharing a “blasphemous” picture. When questioned by reporters about the picture, Trump said he wanted to portray himself as a “doctor making people better.”

“It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better,” said Trump, while addressing reporters on Monday at the White House, Washington D.C.

In the original Truth Social post, Trump also made strong statements against the Pope Leon XIV, saying he is “weak on crime” and not good at handling foreign policy. He accused the Pope of being influenced by politics and claimed that he would not have become Pope if Trump had not been elected President. Trump further criticized the Pope for his views on nuclear weapons and US military actions.

In his statement, Trump also mentioned David Axelrod, calling him a “left-leaning” figure and accusing the Pope of meeting such people. Later, while speaking to reporters, Trump said he is “not a fan” of the Pope and questioned his leadership.

This public clash shows rising tension between political and religious leaders. Earlier, Pope Francis also expressed worries about global conflicts and humanitarian issues.

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