ToplinePresident Donald Trump on Wednesday reposted an AI-generated image of himself and Jesus in a close embrace in front of the American flag, calling the image “quite nice” days after another image, in which he himself was depicted as Jesus, was slammed as "blasphemy” by conservative Christians. President Donald Trump on Wednesday shared this image of himself embracing Jesus. Truth Social, @realDonaldTrumpKey FactsThe new photo was originally posted by a page on X called “Irish for Trump” alongside the caption, "I was never a very religious man .. but doesn't it seem , with all these satanic , demonic , child sacrificing monsters being exposed ... that God might be playing his Trump card !" The president then posted a screenshot of the tweet to his Truth Social account with the comment: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT.”Trump was slammed earlier this week for, on Orthodox Easter, posting another AI image that depicted the president as Jesus himself descending from the heavens while wearing a long white robe with a red shawl, and holding an orb of light as he places one hand on the forehead of a sick man who lies in what appears to be a hospital bed. The post sparked instant backlash, largely from conservative Christian factions of Trump’s base, including prominent conservative Christian journalist Megan Basham who called it “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy” and political commentator Cam Higby who said he spends "8 hours a day" defending Trump but "will not defend blasphemy." Trump later deleted the photo and, when asked about by reporters outside of the Oval Office, said, “I thought it was me as a doctor. Only the fake news could come up with that,” adding, “I make people better.”The first photo was posted Sunday shortly after another post in which Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, as too liberal and “weak on crime,” drawing more fire in what critics called “offensive," “immature" and an "unforced error" that could impact Catholic support in the midterm elections this November. President Donald Trump on Wednesday shared this image of himself embracing Jesus. Truth Social, @realDonaldTrumpTangentTrump and his administration have a history of posting AI-doctored images, including one last year that depicted Trump as the pope two weeks after Pope Francis' death but before Pope Leo XIV was chosen as the church’s new leader. Trump was forced to back down after posting an AI-generated clip that depicted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as apes earlier this year. The administration has also been slammed for posting fake images including ones depicting the arrest of a civil rights activist in Minnesota, a “Studio Ghibli”-style image of a crying immigrant woman being detained and fake endorsements, like ones suggesting Taylor Swift supported his run for office. An AI image of Trump depicted as the pope. X, @WhiteHouseHow Did Trump Respond To The Jesus Photo Backlash? He was relatively dismissive. He said he had seen the criticism, but dismissed it as a narrative of the “fake news” and did not apologize for any offense caused. He did confirm he was the one who posted it and said he thought it depicted him as a doctor, not Jesus, adding he "thought it had to do with the Red Cross." Despite the clear God-like imaging, including light extruding from his hands, he said he didn’t understand how anyone thought it was depicting him as Jesus. “How did they come up with that?” he asked. When asked why he later deleted the photo, he said “Normally I don't like doing that, but I didn't want to have anybody be confused. People were confused.” On Monday, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the post was a “joke” and that Trump took it down “because he realized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor.” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Tuesday he was responsible for the removal: “I did ask him to delete it,” Johnson said. Chief CriticsThe original photo was slammed by conservatives, religious leaders and politicians. Russell Moore, editor-at-large of "Christianity Today,"criticized the image as “blasphemous” in spirit and argued it trivializes Jesus. Riley Gaines, a Trump ally and advocate for keeping transgender women out of women’s sports, posted “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this… 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.” Christian militant organization Knights Templar International posted the group was “deeply offended by this and have no other choice but to condemn it wholeheartedly and ask for a public apology.” Late night talk show hosts blasted the president’s explanation on Tuesday. “That’s you as a doctor? Why don’t you own it, you big puss bag?” Jon Stewart asked. “Do you even care about lying to us any more?” Jimmy Kimmel called Trump a “coward” for trying to explain away the image and added, “I don’t know which is more offensive, how dumb he is, or how dumb he thinks we are.”Further ReadingForbesMike Johnson Says He Convinced Trump To Remove Jesus PostBy Antonio Pequeño IVForbesTrump Removes Image Of Himself As Jesus After OutrageBy Zachary Folk