Donald Trump has attempted to explain away the AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ that he posted on Truth Social on Sunday night.

The president’s defence came when he was questioned by reporters about the now-deleted post, which sparked outrage from even his most loyal supporters and was branded ‘blasphemous’ by prominent figures across the Christian right.

In true Trump fashion, he also managed to blame the media for the whole thing.

But before we get to his explanation – which is, frankly, magnificent – let’s remind ourselves what all the fuss was about.

What did the image actually show?

The AI-generated picture showed Trump draped in flowing white and red robes, laying his hand on the forehead of a sick man in a hospital bed – with light beaming from the man’s head as though Trump were healing him through divine power.

Behind him were bald eagles, fighter jets, the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial, the American flag, and what appeared to be demonic horned figures floating in the sky where soldiers had appeared in the original version of the image.

The image appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account less than an hour after he launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV, calling the pontiff ‘WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.’ He posted it on Orthodox Easter. During an active war with Iran. Minutes after going after the head of the Catholic Church.

So, the timing wasn’t exactly subtle.

What did Trump say the picture actually was?

Here’s where it gets good.

When pressed by reporters, Trump said: “It wasn’t a depiction, 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, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one.”

He added: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better, and I do make people better.”

A doctor. In flowing biblical robes. With divine light emanating from his hands. Surrounded by eagles and heavenly figures. On Orthodox Easter.

Apparently, if you saw anything religious in that, that’s your problem – and the fault of the ‘fake news’, obviously.

White House chief photographer Daniel Torok also tried to play down the controversy, insisting on X that the image was not meant to portray Trump as Jesus, arguing there were no ‘halos, no thorns, no nail marks, no angels’ in the picture.

How did people react?

This is where it gets interesting, because the backlash didn’t just come from the usual critics. It came from Trump’s own base.

Former MAGA congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X: “It’s more than blasphemy. It’s an Antichrist spirit.”

Conservative Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham added: “I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy.”

Fox News contributor Riley Gaines wrote: “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. A little humility would serve him well. God shall not be mocked.”

Even MAGA influencer Sean Feucht, who has performed worship music at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, said: “This should be deleted immediately. There is no context where this is acceptable.”

Christian influencer Mandy Arthur, meanwhile, offered perhaps the most memorable response: “God, we might have made a mistake and accidentally elected the Antichrist. Send help.”

What was the fallout with Pope Leo?

The image came just minutes after Trump went after Pope Leo XIV in a lengthy Truth Social rant, claiming: “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

The pair clashed over comments the Pontiff made about the US war with Iran.

He doubled down when speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews later that evening.

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,” Trump said. “I am not a fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man who doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”

Pope Leo, for his part, kept things characteristically measured. Speaking to reporters aboard a papal flight to Algeria on Monday, he said: “I have no fear of the Trump administration. I will not enter into debate.”

He added that his goal is simply to ‘continue on with what I believe is the mission of the Church in the world today’ – which, right now, appears to involve being a lot calmer than the President of the United States.

Has the image been taken down?

Yes. As of Monday morning, the post had been removed from Trump’s Truth Social account. No formal statement has been issued by the White House.

Still, we now know the truth. It wasn’t Jesus. It was a doctor. In robes. With glowing hands. Healing through the power of… medicine, presumably.

Glad we cleared that up.