After President Donald Trump faced backlash for sharing an image appearing to show himself as a Christ-like figure, Vice President JD Vance said the post was “a joke.”
“I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case,” Vance said in an April 13 interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
The vice president also said he thinks Trump “likes to mix it up on social media.”
“I actually think that’s one of the good things about this president—that he is not filtered. He doesn’t send everything through a communications professional. He actually reaches out directly to the people,” he added.
Trump’s controversial post and Vance’s subsequent comments came amid a public clash with Pope Leo XIV over his criticism of the war in Iran. Trump blasted the pontiff on social media, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible” for foreign policy.
Vance says Vatican should ‘stick to matters of morality’
In addition to discussing Trump’s latest controversial Truth Social post, Vance also addressed the administration’s clash with Pope Leo while appearing on “Special Report.”
“When it comes to the disagreements with the Vatican, look, we’re going to have disagreements, Bret, from time to time,” Vance said. “I think it’s a good thing, actually, that the pope is advocating for the things that he cares about.”
Vance, who is Catholic, said disagreements with the Vatican are “a totally reasonable thing” but dismissed the issue as not “particularly newsworthy.”
“We can respect the pope. We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican. But we’re also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time,” he said.
Vance added: “I certainly think that in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church, and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
Did Trump post himself as Jesus? Yes, then he deleted and explained it.
In an April 12 Truth Social post, Trump shared an AI-generated illustration appearing to show himself as Jesus Christ.
The image depicted Trump in a white tunic and red shawl. In one hand, he holds a shining light, and the other is placed on the forehead of a man laying in a bed. Around them, several others look up at Trump, including one woman with her hands in prayer.
The post swiftly sparked backlash from across the political spectrum, including from some conservative figures.
Trump deleted the image the following day, and dismissed criticism while speaking with reporters at the White House on April 13.
“I did post it and I thought it was me as as a doctor,” he said, adding: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
This story has been updated to add new information.
Reporting by Melina Khan.Contributing: Zac Anderson and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY. Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance says Trump’s post of himself as Jesus was ‘a joke’
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