Trump Defends AI Image as Doctor Depiction After Backlash

President Donald Trump defended a now-deleted social media post on Monday, insisting that an AI-generated image he shared depicted him as a doctor rather than a Jesus-like figure, amid widespread criticism that included rebukes from some of his conservative supporters.

The image, posted on Trump's Truth Social platform late Sunday, showed him in white robes with a red sash, extending glowing hands toward a bedridden man in what appeared to many as a scene of divine healing. Surrounding figures included onlookers, with an eagle and the U.S. flag in the background. Trump confirmed to reporters outside the Oval Office that he had shared the post but rejected interpretations of religious symbolism. "It wasn't a depiction. It was me. I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross. There's a Red Cross worker there, which we support," Trump said. He added, "Only the fake news could come up with that one. It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better... and I do make people better. I make people a lot better."

The post followed a separate Truth Social message from Trump earlier Sunday evening in which he sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV, the...