Outrage from Trump's closest allies begging him to show 'humility' after GOD image goes viral - and Iran's top leader slams 'insult' to Pope Leo

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 15:54, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 15:57, 13 April 2026 Conservatives are expressing outrage after Donald Trump posted an image portraying himself as Jesus Christ, forcing fractures among his evangelical base.  After rebuking Pope Leo over the weekend after critical remarks that the President should be a 'peacemaker' amid the Iran war, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Christ.  The image shows Trump draped in white with a red shawl, placing his hands, glowing with a divine light, on a sick patient in a hospital bed as a soldier, a nurse and others look on in adoration.  Behind him are some US motifs, like the Statue of Liberty and American flag. Above him are what appear to be angels. One seems to have horns.  'I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent,' conservative commentator Michael Knowles wrote.  Right-wing influencer Riley Gaines reacted: 'Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he'd post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.'  Trump's ridicule of the Pope got the attention of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who piled on the controversy. 'I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah,' the Iranian official wrote.  Conservative activist and commentator Riley Gaines, an ally of the Trump administration, slammed the President for his post comparing himself to Jesus Christ  Pope Leo has traded barbs with the President over Trump's war with Iran Ex-Trump ally and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene went further, saying the post is 'more than blasphemy' and that 'it’s an Antichrist spirit.'  The post came on the heels of Trump claiming that Leo, 70, was only made Pope 'because he was an American', adding: 'If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican.' Trump's bashing of the Pope and 'blasphemous' comparison to Christ come despite his closest advisors' Catholic and Christian beliefs.  Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. are all Catholic.  Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and White House Chief of Staff Susie WIles are all either evangelical or Protestant.  White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is also a devout Christian, often spotted wearing a cross at press briefings and posting about church or scripture on social media.   The President's feud with the Pope was sparked when Leo, without naming Trump or the US, spoke out about war, a nod to the US offensive against Iran.  After Trump repeatedly commented on the Pope's seemingly political posture, the President unleashed several broadsides against the head of the Catholic Church.  VP JD Vance is a strong Catholic, and he has written book on his faith that is set to be published later this year White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt is also a devout Christian, often spotted wearing a cross at press briefings and posting about church or scripture on social media 'Pope Leo is weak on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,' Trump posted on social media on Sunday, adding, 'I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.'  Despite some of his supporters backing the President's comments ridiculing the Pontiff for wading into politics, the self-published image comparing himself to Christ was a bridge too far for some.  'Trumps first post was fine. The Pope has a long documented political record. The follow-up posts? Would not be tolerated for any other religion,' conservative pundit Mike Cernovich reacted to the Trump-Jesus image.  OutKick host Jon Root wrote: 'This is blasphemous.' 'Trump portraying himself as Jesus Christ, descending from the clouds, healing the sick, with people praying to him, is reprehensible. If only there was a qualified leader of the White House Faith Office, and not a heretic, so this wouldn’t happen or at least would be called out,' he continued.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.