WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance shrugged off claims Monday night that President Trump committed blasphemy by posting an artificial intelligence-powered image on Truth Social depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
Vance, 41, a Roman Catholic convert who is releasing a book about his faith journey in June, argued that Trump, 79, was merely trying to have fun on social media and took it down when people got offended.
“I think the president was posting a joke,” Vance told Fox News’ “Special Report” host Bret Baier. “Of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his — his humor in that case.”
JD Vance spoke to Fox News’ Bret Baier about Trump’s AI image depicting him as Jesus Christ. Fox News
President Trump posted an AI image of himself depicting Jesus Christ while healing a sick man. via REUTERS
“I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media,” the veep added.
Trump claimed Monday afternoon to have posted the image because he “thought it was me as a doctor and it had to do with the Red Cross.”
The shocking post showed Trump clad in a white robe and red sash with bright balls of energy emanating from his hands as he tended to a sick man. The AI image also showed an American flag and a bald eagle in the background, along with a winged, horned creature that could not be identified.
A cacophony of evangelical and Christian conservatives accused the president of blasphemy. But Trump denied seeing the resemblance between himself in that image and Jesus.
Vice President JD Vance discussed the controversial AI image Trump shared to his social media before deleting it. Fox News
“I actually think that’s one of the good things about this president is that he is not filtered,” Vance contended. “He doesn’t send everything through a communications professional. He actually reaches out directly to the people.”
Trump, who is famous for his penchant for posting videos and memes on his Truth Social account, also took swipes at Pope Leo XIV, bashing the religious leader for being “soft on crime” and weak on foreign policy.
The Holy Father had criticized Trump’s war on Iran, drawing a fiery Truth Social diatribe from the US president.
JD Vance said the administration had a “good relationship with the Vatican.” Fox News
“It’s a good thing, actually, that the pope is advocating for the things that he cares about,” Vance said of the row. “Sometimes we’re going to have disagreements on matters of public policy.”
“We can respect the pope. We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican,” the veep added. “But we’re also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing. It isn’t particularly newsworthy.”
Trump had famously clashed with the Bishop of Rome’s predecessor, Pope Francis.
Vance, who converted from atheism to Roman Catholicism in 2019, is set to release his book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” on June 16.