Trump deleted image suspected to be self-portrait of Jesus, saying "Thought it was a doctor's costume"

US President Trump deleted a picture on Monday (April 13th) that was suspected of depicting him as Jesus.

According to reports from Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg, on the evening of the 12th, Trump posted this AI-generated image on his own social media platform, Truth Social. This triggered strong protests from religious leaders, who accused him of desecrating God. Trump's supporters also criticized his actions.

On the 13th, when Trump went outside the Oval Office to pick up the McDonald's takeout he ordered, he admitted to reporters that it was he who had posted that controversial picture.

Trump said that he thought the picture showed him as a doctor treating patients, but he did not explain why he later deleted the picture.

Trump said: "That was indeed the picture I posted. I thought it was a doctor in a costume and related to the Red Cross." He added: "The picture was meant to convey that I was like a doctor saving lives and that I truly made people's lives better."

As a Catholic himself, US Vice President Pence defended the pictures he had posted about Trump during an interview with Fox News on the evening of the 13th.

Vance said, "The president was just making a joke," adding that Trump later deleted the picture "because he realized that many people didn't understand his humor."