US President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that he would have won California if “Jesus Christ came down and counted the votes,” while again alleging that elections in the state are rigged.US President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One on May 20, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Getty Images via AFP)rump made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing to deliver a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy. During the exchange, he criticized California’s voting system and mail-in ballots, repeating longstanding claims about election integrity.“You have a rigged vote out there, that's the problem. The votes are rigged. You have a really rigged vote in California,” Trump said. “You have all the mail-in ballots, everything else. Very hard to win because the elections are very dishonest.”Trump then escalated the claim by invoking religion, saying, “If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would have won California, because I do great with Hispanics.”The president also suggested he may compile a list ranking what he called “dishonest states,” adding that California was “one of the most dishonest states.”Also Read: White House mass prayer event seeks to reclaim US Christian rootsSocial media backlash over Jesus remarkTrump’s comments drew criticism online, particularly his reference to Jesus while discussing election results. “He is coming down, but I don't think He's coming to count votes.” one social media user wrote.Another said: “If Jesus Christ came down today and listened to what you say and do, in his name, he’d never stop throwing up."A third user wrote, “Jesus too busy in the emergency room doing doctor things to count these ballots."Trump increasingly invokes religionThe remarks come amid a series of recent incidents in which Trump has publicly invoked religious imagery and references to Jesus. Tensions have also grown between Trump and the Catholic Church in recent months.Last month, Trump shared, and later deleted, an AI-generated image portraying himself in a robe appearing to heal a man with divine powers. Asked about the image, Trump said it was “supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”Also Read: Why did Donald Trump delete his ‘Jesus-like’ AI image? Here’s what we knowOn Wednesday, he reportedly shared another AI-generated image showing Jesus hugging him, captioning it: “The Radical Left Lunatic might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”Trump has also repeatedly criticized Pope Leo over the pontiff’s comments on the war in Iran. During a Palm Sunday address, the pope said God “rejects” the prayers of those who wage war and criticized leaders who invoke faith to justify conflict.Trump later called Pope Leo “very liberal” and accused him of being “WEAK on Crime,” while urging him to “stop catering to the Radical Left.”