Trump Jesus: US President depicted as Christ in latest bizarre social media post from Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has shared an image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ to social media - how has the Pope responded.
In a lengthy media post, the US President has demanded that the head of the Catholic Church “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician”. However, Pope Leo has said he will keep speaking out against war after facing scathing criticism from Donald Trump who branded the pontiff “weak”.
Mr Trump has accused the Pope, who leads the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics, of being “Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons” and said he should “stop catering to the Radical Left”.
The president also said the pontiff should be “thankful” to have become Pope last year, suggesting the first North American leader of the Catholic Church was chosen as someone who could “deal with” Mr Trump.
Trump as Jesus
In a post on his Truth Social platform, where he also posted an image of himself as a god or Jesus-like figure, the president wrote: “Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise.
“He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Doubling down on his remarks, Mr Trump – who was among world leaders in attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral almost a year ago – also told reporters: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Pope Leo’s response to Donald Trump
The Pope has said he does not want to “get into a debate” with Mr Trump, adding that the message of the Gospel was being “abused” by some people. The pontiff told reporters onboard the papal plane as he embarked on a 10-day tour in Africa: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.”
He said “too many people are suffering in the world today” and “too many innocent people are being killed”. He added: “And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
The Pope also said religious leaders “are not politicians” and “do not look at foreign policy from the same perspective that he (Mr Trump) may have”. He told reporters: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.”
In his Easter message earlier this month, the pontiff had strongly criticised war, calling on “those who have weapons (to) lay them down”. He said: “Let those who have the power to unleash wars, choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”