Did President Donald Trump post a depiction of himself as a Christ-like healer on Truth Social on April 12, 2026? Yes, that's true: While fake Trump posts are often widely shared on social platforms and can quickly go viral, Lead Stories reviewed this instance and confirmed that Trump posted it. The content appeared on his verified Truth Social account. It was later deleted.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @AFpost account on X on April 12, 2026. It read:
Following an attack on Pope Leo XIV, President Trump posted an image on Truth Social depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @AFpost on X.com.)
Trump shared the image (archived here) on his Truth Social account on April 12, 2026, then deleting it less than a day later on April 13, 2026. Speaking outside the Oval Office, Trump addressed the image, saying, "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 there, which we support." He blamed the "fake news media" for how the picture was described, adding, "It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better. And I do make people better."
The post followed a public spat between the president and Pope Leo XIV. They're at odds over the war involving Iran. Trump criticized the pope in a Truth Social post (archived here), calling him "very liberal" and saying he was doing a poor job, while defending his own policies:
(Image source: post by @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social.)
Pope Leo pushed back (archived here) by emphasizing that his calls for peace come from the Gospel, not politics. The Pope added that he is not afraid of Trump and is not trying to attack him personally. He also made it clear that he will continue advocating for peace and dialogue rather than engaging in political debate.
The image of a Christ-like Trump appears to be a slightly modified version of a post (archived here) by the @NickAdamsinUSA account on X from Feb. 4, 2026. The images are side by side below:
(Image sources: posts by @NickAdamsinUSA on X.com and @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social.)
It's unclear what the updated image (the change circled in yellow at the top) represents. The original appeared to depict a soldier in the background, while the version posted by Donald Trump showed a figure with wings and a crown resembling those of the Statue of Liberty.
