Catholic Vance Breaks Silence on Trump's Jesus-Like Image Amid Outcry From Other Conservatives
· Time
Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, has downplayed President Donald Trump’s posting—and deleting—of an AI-generated Jesus-like image which has sparked backlash among Christians and conservatives.
“I think the President was posting a joke,” Vance said of the image that depicted Trump as a robed figure with light emanating from his hands. “Of course, he took it down because he recognized a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.”
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He went on to say the President “likes to mix it up on social media” and he thinks that’s one of the “good things” about him as he’s “not filtered.”
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019 and recently announced an upcoming memoir on his faith, also remarked on the tension between the Trump Administration and the Vatican.
While Vance acknowledged there are bound to be “disagreements on matters of public policy” and said it’s “reasonable,” he argued that “in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality… and let the President stick to dictating American public policy.”
The President recently publicly criticized Pope Leo, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after he called for an end to the Iran war.
Trump, meanwhile, offered his own explanation of the “joke” post when approached by reporters at the White House on Monday and insisted it wasn’t intended to be a Jesus-like depiction.
“I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor,” he said. “It had to do with [the] Red Cross, there’s a Red Cross worker there, which we support.”
Seemingly blaming the outcry on the media, he added: “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
But many high-profile conservatives, some of whom are known to be supporters of Trump, have criticized the image.
President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office of the White House on March 16, 2026. —Aaron Schwartz—Getty ImagesRepublican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio referred to the post as “troubling.”
“While there may be a method to the madness, this Truth Social post can only be described as madness. Very troubling,” he said.
Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was once among Trump’s most vocal and ardent supporters before their alliance broke down last year, went a step further, suggesting the image was blasphemous.
“On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus,” she said. “I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it.”
Conservative activist Riley Gaines also criticized the image, saying “a little humility” would serve Trump well. “God shall not be mocked,” she insisted.
Trump, after deleting the post, said Gaines' criticism did not impact his decision, arguing: "I didn't listen to Riley Gaines. I'm not a big fan of Riley, actually."
Gaines later celebrated the removal of the post which “missed the mark” and said she would continue supporting Trump and the “America first agenda.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has shared an image that appears to depict him as a religious figure.
After the death of Pope Francis last year, and amid conversations about who might succeed him, Trump posted an AI-Generated image of himself as a Pope, just days after joking he'd like to be the next Pontiff.
The image encountered a mixed response, with one critic saying it was "rather offensive for Catholics." Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, was among those to critique the post, referring to Trump as "unserious and incapable.”