Vice President JD Vance on Monday defended President Donald Trumpʼs decision to post and later delete an AI-generated image that critics said depicted the president as Jesus Christ, calling it a joke that people misunderstood.
“I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people werenʼt understanding his humor in that case,” Vance told Fox News’ Bret Baier on “Special Report.”
“I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media,” Vance added. “And I actually think thatʼs one of the good things about this president, is that he is not filtered.”
Earlier Monday, the president told reporters at the White House that the image depicted him as “a doctor” and “a Red Cross worker,” not as Jesus, as many understood it. He added: “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump said.
The deleted post
The apparently AI-generated image, posted to Trumpʼs Truth Social account on Sunday evening on Orthodox Easter, showed the president in a white robe and red sash. Both hands emitted a golden light, with one resting on the forehead of a man in a hospital bed. The American flag, the Statue of Liberty, military jets and floating human figures in the sky filled the background. The post contained no caption.
Trump shared the image shortly after publishing a series of posts attacking Pope Leo XIV, calling the pontiff “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” over his opposition to U.S. military operations in Iran.
The image drew swift backlash from across the political spectrum, including from prominent conservative and Christian commentators who are typically supportive of the president. The post was deleted later on Monday.
Vance addresses U.S.-Vatican tensions
In his Fox News appearance, Vance — a Catholic convert — also addressed the broader friction between the White House and the Vatican.
“When it comes to the disagreements with the Vatican, look, weʼre going to have disagreements, from time to time,” Vance said. “I think itʼs a good thing, actually, that the pope is advocating for the things that he cares about.”
He added: “We can respect the pope. We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican. But weʼre also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think thatʼs a totally reasonable thing. It isnʼt particularly newsworthy.”
Pope Leo XIV, speaking to journalists aboard the papal flight to Algiers on Monday, responded to the controversy: “I have no fear neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel,” the pope said.
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, said he was “disheartened” by Trumpʼs remarks about the pope, calling Leo “the vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
It is not the first time a Trump social media post depicting himself in religious imagery has caused controversy.
In May 2025, the president posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope shortly after the death of Pope Francis. That post drew condemnation from Catholic leaders, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Vance at the time dismissed that controversy as well, saying he was “fine with people telling jokes.”
