An old, embarrassing photo of President Donald Trump is coming back to haunt him at the worst possible time, just as he is digging in and brushing off outrage from his own base over a string of controversial religious posts.
The latest firestorm erupted after Trump shared a new image tied to a viral post from an X account called “Irish for Trump,” which framed him in almost divine terms, being hugged by Jesus, suggesting that “God might be playing his Trump card” amid global chaos.
Instead of distancing himself, Trump amplified it, posting a screenshot to Truth Social and writing, “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT.”
That move comes after raging backlash.
Earlier in the week, on Orthodox Easter, Trump posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, descending from the heavens in flowing robes, holding a glowing light, appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed. The imagery stunned even some of his most loyal Christian supporters, who blasted it as outright blasphemy.
Prominent conservative voices did not hold back in responding to the new image on Wednesday. Christian journalist Megan Basham called the image “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” while commentator Cam Higby, who said he spends “8 hours a day” defending Trump, drew a hard line, saying he will not defend blasphemy.
Despite that rare internal revolt, Trump has shown little interest in backing down. Although he eventually deleted the original AI image, he dismissed the controversy when pressed by reporters, claiming, “I thought it was me as a doctor… only the fake news could come up with that,” before adding, “I make people better.”
The controversy did not happen in a vacuum. Just before the posts, Trump had launched an attack on Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, calling him “weak on crime” and too liberal, sparking outrage among Catholic observers and adding another layer to what critics described as an unforced error.
The new post, with Trump next to Jesus, has drawn warm responses from his base on Truth Social. Many of them quote the Bible and refer to Trump as a savior of the country.
Now, as Trump shrugs off criticism, even from his own supporters, an older moment is resurfacing and taking on a different meaning.
Back in November, during a White House event with pharmaceutical executives, a guest suddenly collapsed. While others rushed to help, including Mehmet Oz, Trump remained behind his desk, visibly disengaged as aides and attendees handled the emergency.
At the time, the image raised eyebrows. Now, paired against Trump’s self-styled portrayal as a healing, Christ-like figure, it is going viral again, this time with a sharper edge.
Social media users are drawing a blunt contrast. The man who stood still during a real-life medical emergency is now sharing images of himself miraculously curing the sick.
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“Not a shred of empathy,” one user wrote. “He’s annoyed the moment wasn’t about him.”
The patient, according to the White House, recovered fully. But the image, and what it seems to represent, has taken on a second life.
And this time, it is colliding head-on with Trump’s own messaging in a way that even some of his most loyal defenders are struggling to ignore.
