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President Donald Trump claimed he thought the since-deleted image he shared on his Truth Social account depicting him as Jesus Christ was instead showing him as a doctor.
"It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one," Trump said via FOX News.
Trump shared the post following his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, which he doubled down on Monday (April 13), claiming the pope "said things that are wrong" in regards to his stance against the United States and Israel's war with Iran.
“He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran — Pope Leo would not be happy with the result,” Trump said via the New York Post.
Pope Leo responded to the personal attack by Trump during a flight to Algeria on the papal plane Monday (April 13).
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do. We are not politicians. We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker," Pope Leo told journalists via OSV News Vatican editor Courtney Mares.
Leo condemned the war in Iran in his latest comments against all global wars, which had been addressed in both his Palm Sunday and Easter Mass services.
“Enough with the idolatry of self and money! Enough with the display of force! Enough with war! True strength is manifested in serving life,” Leo said on Saturday (April 11) via CBS News.
Leo also said it was "truly unacceptable" for Trump to have recently made his threat to destroy "an entire civilization" in Iran.