Jesuit priest Rev. James Martin said on Monday that an AI-generated image posted by President Donald Trump did not look like a doctor at work. “I don’t know too many doctors who have glowing hands,” Martin told CNN.
The image, which Trump shared on Truth Social on Sunday night before deleting it, showed the president wearing flowing robes with light coming from one hand as he touched the forehead of a man who appeared to be a patient.
American flags, eagles, the Statue of Liberty, fighter jets, and figures resembling angels filled the background. Trump on Monday, April 13, told reporters the picture was meant to show him “as a doctor making people better.”
Martin, who spoke a few minutes after the president said he posted depicting him as a doctor or a Red Cross worker, pointed out that Trump had just finished a long attack on Pope Leo XIV on the same platform, which he believes the President was very intentional and targeted to attack religion when he posted that AI image
In that post, the president of the United States called the pope “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.” He also said he was “not a big fan” of the first American-born pontiff and suggested the pope should stop “catering to the Radical Left.”
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Martin said the timing made the religious quality of the image clear. He tied it to a 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night with three U.S. cardinals: Robert McElroy of Washington, Joseph Tobin of Newark, and Blase Cupich of Chicago.
The cardinals discussed Pope Leo’s calls for peace in the war with Iran and his concerns about U.S. immigration policies.
Pope Leo has spoken against the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran, describing some of the violence as “inhuman.” He has also urged an “off-ramp” to end the fighting. Trump has pushed hard against Iran and criticized the pope for those statements.
Martin, a well-known Jesuit who often comments on faith and culture, said the image came right after the president watched or heard about the cardinals on television. “Religion was on his mind last night,” the priest said.
Trump’s post drew quick backlash from some conservative Christians who usually back him. Several called the picture blasphemous because it showed him in a pose that looked like Jesus healing the sick.
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The president removed the post on Monday, and when he was asked about it at the White House, he repeated that it showed him healing people the way a doctor does. He did not address the religious look of the robes or the glowing light.
The clash between Trump and Pope Leo denotes a sharp shift from the usual relationship between U.S. presidents and the Vatican.
Popes have often avoided naming American leaders directly, although Leo has spoken more openly about the Iran war and mass deportations. Trump has claimed credit for helping Leo become pope, a statement the Vatican has not confirmed.
On Monday, Pope Leo told reporters he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would keep speaking out for peace. He said his comments came from the gospel, not politics.
Trump and AI images
The image itself mixed medical, patriotic, and biblical elements. A nurse and a soldier stood nearby. Some viewers said one background figure looked like a demon, while others saw only dramatic lighting.
This is not an isolated case of Trump having posted AI pictures before, including one that showed him as the Pope. In most cases, the pictures are deleted within 24 hours.
The pictures usually spread quickly across news outlets and social media, sparking mixed reactions, mostly criticism.
The relationship between Trump and the Pope remains strained, right?