Did Trump post, delete AI image depicting himself in likeness of Jesus?

In April 2026, a rumor spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump had posted an image depicting himself in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

On X, the Christian organization Knight Templars International — which describes itself as the "largest official non-Masonic Templar organisation in the world" — posted a screenshot of Trump's alleged post with the image, calling it "offensive and blasphemous" and asking him to take it down (archived):

Facebook and Instagram users also shared the image Trump purportedly posted on Truth Social. In addition, several Snopes readers searched the website and emailed to confirm whether it was legitimate.

The claim was true. On April 12, 2026, Trump posted an illustration generated by artificial intelligence (archived) that represented him in a Christ-like manner:

(Truth Social user @realDonaldTrump)

As of this writing on April 13, Trump's post had been deleted. Snopes contacted the White House to ask if Trump or someone else created the image, and what prompted the post's removal from his Truth Social feed, and will update this report if we receive a response.

On April 13, a reporter asked Trump outside the Oval Office of the White House if he had posted the image depicting him as Jesus. He confirmed he had, but said he thought it showed him as a doctor rather than Jesus:

It was me. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor, and it had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Only the fake news could come up with that one.

In the AI-generated image, Trump is depicted wearing a white robe and red sash, garments that appear in many traditional representations of Jesus. 

The image also includes a halo of light emanating from Trump as he touches the forehead of a man wearing a hospital gown lying in bed. Two women (one of them a medical care provider) and two men (one of them a soldier) appear to be praying on their knees around Trump and the sick man. The illustration seems to suggest that Trump is healing the man the same way Jesus healed sick people in the New Testament.

The Statue of Liberty appears in the distance to the right. In the sky above Trump, five figures stand or walk, four of whom seem to be soldiers. The central figure has horns but no head, and two appendages raised awkwardly in the air, suggesting it is an AI hallucination — nonexistent or nonsensical visual objects that generative AI tools sometimes create. (We asked the White House what the creature was supposed to represent and did not receive a response.)

The image also includes a U.S. flag floating in the sky and several bald eagles flying.

Similar image circulated in February 2026

By combining Christian and U.S. symbols, the image draws upon iconography frequently associated with U.S Christian nationalism. It appeared to be a version of another image that first circulated in February 2026. 

On Feb. 4, 2026, Australian-American conservative commentator Nick Adams posted a nearly identical illustration on X and Instagram (archived, archived):

(X user @NickAdamsinUSA)

"America has been sick for a long time," Adams wrote in the caption. "President Trump is healing this nation." 

The main difference between this image and the one Trump posted was that in Adams's image, the central figure in the sky was another soldier, not a headless creature. We reached out to him to ask if he had prompted AI to create this illustration or obtained it elsewhere. Shortly after we emailed him, Adams had deleted the post on both X and Instagram.

Separately, we asked the White House why Trump didn't repost the original image. We await a response. 

For further reading, Snopes confirmed in May 2025 that Trump had posted an AI-generated image of himself as pope.