By Becky Tallent | FāVS News Board Columnist
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
No matter how you look at it, that AI-generated image of President Donald Trump that appeared on Sunday, April 12, was shocking.
Dressed in red and white robes a la ancient Middle East with palms glowing light appearing to bring a dying man back to life, surrounding faces lit with awe — the imagery is clearly that of a savior.
But shortly after it was taken down by the White House, Trump said it was “fake news” that he was imagined as Christ, that he was portraying a doctor.
As I used to say to some students: Give me a freaking break.
A savior, plain and simple
The image is clear: Every element is designed to portray the president as a savior. Apparently, because all the people represented are white, he is being portrayed as the savior of the Caucasian race.
The work is also an attempt to portray military might with the large American flag in the background coupled with military figures in fighting poses. However, Jesus Christ and the Christian church are based on the idea of peace, so this is a jarring image.
Although I left the Christian church ages ago, the image mostly strikes me as sacrilegious. Many churches agree, denouncing the work as irreverent at best, sacrilegious at worst.
Leaders in Christian denominations ranging from Roman Catholic to conservative evangelical and many in-between — both conservative and liberal — have decried it. Even Moscow’s Christ Church leader Doug Wilson has called the work blasphemous; the Rev. Tony Suarez, a member of Trump’s evangelical advisory board, said it was offensive to allude to a person as the same as Jesus.
All of this seems to stem from Trump’s disagreement with Pope Leo XIV after the pope publicly disagreed with the war in Iran. Trump then said Leo was “soft on crime” and that he should be focused on being the leader of the Catholic Church.
Trump vs. the pope
But that is exactly what Pope Leo is doing — focusing on the Gospels and the basic ideals of Christianity. It is Trump who is insisting on using his idea of Christianity to justify military incursions and war, although the book he cites calls for peace and justice.
For his part, Pope Leo has said he does not fear the Trump Administration and will continue to speak out against war and injustice.
“I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing,” Pope Leo said on MSN. “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promote dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.”
Trump, however, seems to think that because he is an American-born pope, Leo should be agreeing with or at least silent about the administration’s military actions.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said in his Truth Social post about Pope Leo. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
Many Americans disagree strongly with Trump’s claim.
The president also noted Leo “wasn’t on my list to be made Pope.” Well, guess what, Mr. President, that decision was up to the College of Cardinals, not you.
Apparently, Trump cannot take criticism, nor can he understand that Pope Leo is doing exactly as a pope should do: Teach the Gospels and articulate the doctrine of the Catholic Church, which is a bedrock for many moral principles.
The pope is not a politician; he is a moral leader. It would behoove the current president to remember that fact and perhaps take some of that wisdom along with a touch of humility and apply it to himself.
FāVS News uses professional journalists and thoughtful commentary to explore faith, values and ethics. Support journalism like this by making a tax-deductible donation. FāVS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. © FāVS News. All rights reserved. Reproduction permitted only to authorized media partners or with written permission.
Thank you for this timely commentary, Becky. Trump’s actions and words and images clearly are outrageous and irreligious. And now we have J.D. Vance, a Catholic, having the gall to side with Trump and criticize his Pope, saying he should stick to moral issues, as if war mongering isn’t a moral issue! I hope many Catholics will now withdraw their support of Trump and Vance.
Thanks, Walter! As we say in the South: Amen and pass that collection plate! The comments about Pope Leo should “be careful” when discussing theology just boggles the mind.