President Donald Trump finds himself stirring up controversy yet again, after posting several AI-generated images on Truth Social. One image, posted on April 13, 2026, depicts him as Jesus, healing a sick patient surrounded by soldiers, nurses, and flying bald eagles.
This post drew swift backlash from conservatives. Popular Christian conservative commentator who is known for supporting Trump, Megan Basham, took to X to condemn the post, “I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy.”
Fox News Host Riley Gaines also took to X to question the post, “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?”
The post was later deleted from Trump’s Truth Social page; however, days later, he shared another AI-generated image, this time with Jesus embracing him in front of the United States flag. Trump captioned this post, “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”
These Images are not the first AI-generated visuals Trump has shared of himself online. Trump has
reposted several AI-generated images of himself during his current term. Trump and the White House have shared AI-generated media of Trump depicted as each of the following:
- Trump as a king
- Trump as the Pope
- Trump as a king, piloting a jet, dumping feces on protesters
- Trump as a king, with democratic politicians bowing before him
- Trump with exaggerated musclesÂ
- Trump as a Nobel Peace Prize winner
These images seem to all have a recurring theme: Trump portrayed in positions of absolute power
and moral authority. His supporters and republican colleagues often defend these posts, stating that they are satire or humorous.
Trump’s use of AI does not stop at just self-portraits. Trump has also been known to share AI-generated content of other politicians or public figures. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump posted AI images of fans of pop singer Taylor Swift in T-shirts reading “Swifties for Trump.”
During February 2025, Trump shared an AI-generated video of a hypothetical future version of Gaza if Trump were to take over. The video was shared on Truth Social and depicts Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a resort, set on the Gaza Strip.
The controversy surrounding our president’s use of AI imagery reflects a broader challenge being faced in our culture. As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, and AI-generated images are being used to build narratives within our culture, where will we draw the line on how it can be used in political messaging?
