House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed Tuesday that he called President Donald Trump immediately after seeing a controversial AI-generated image Trump had posted on Truth Social.
The picture showed Trump in a white robe and red shawl, putting his hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital bed. The man was surrounded by bright light, American flags, eagles, and fighter jets. A lot of people thought it showed Trump in a pose like Jesus, healing the sick.
Johnson told reporters on April 14 that he advised Trump that the image “was not being received in the same way he intended it.”
Trump agreed with the assessment and deleted the post shortly afterward. “That was the right thing to do,” Johnson said. He added that Trump explained his own view of the image and “I don’t think he thought it was sacrilegious at all.”
The event happened on Sunday night, just hours after Trump posted a long attack on Pope Leo XIV, after the Pope had called out Trump over the Iran conflict.
Trump had called the pope “weak on crime” and said that Democratic strategist David Axelrod had influenced him. The AI image followed that message.
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On Monday, Trump addressed the deleted post with reporters outside the Oval Office. He insisted the image was never meant to portray him as Jesus.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross,” Trump said. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better.”
He even blamed “fake news” for linking the image to religious imagery, saying he removed it only because of the confusion it caused, not because of criticism.
The post drew quick backlash from some evangelical Christians, Catholic leaders, and even conservative voices who usually back Trump.
Reviewers called it blasphemous or tone-deaf, especially given Trump’s recent feud with the pope. Many religious conservatives said the image went too far, no matter what Trump said he meant.
Mike Johnson speaks to Trump over the photo.
Johnson, a Southern Baptist who often talks about his faith, said the conversation with Trump over the photo was simple and straight to the point.
He didn’t try to call out Trump, but he made it clear that the president understood that the picture could turn off supporters. Johnson said that Trump saw the picture differently and didn’t think it mocked religious beliefs.
Trump has been posting memes, AI-created content, mostly images, and controversial posts on Truth Social for a long time. He regularly shares posts from supporters and uses the platform to respond to critics right away.
Also Read: Doctors Don’t Have Glowing Hands: Catholic Priest Links Trump’s Jesus-Like Image to Pope Clash
Johnson opined that the event was just a small change in direction, not a big fight. He said that Trump paid attention to what he said about how people felt, and that’s why he took down the picture so quickly, before it could offend more people.
The Speaker didn’t call the picture offensive himself; instead, he said his job was to help Trump understand how other people saw it.
By Monday afternoon, the post had been removed from Trump’s account, but there was no official apology to the pope or religious groups.
The short-lived controversy shows how unpredictable Trump’s social media use is, even in his second term. Johnson, one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, had to call and tell him to delete the image. This shows that it didn’t have the effect he wanted.
Even as the dust settles over the image, the incident gave a rare peek at Johnson quietly playing the role of the guy who picks up the phone and tells Trump when something needs to be pulled back before it blows up.
