Overview
- Trump, who deleted an earlier Jesus-like image on Monday, reposted Wednesday an AI picture on Truth Social that shows Jesus embracing him and added that he thought it was “quite nice.”
- Following Tuesday night’s posts attacking the pontiff, he wrote that “someone please tell” Pope Leo that Iran killed at least 42,000 protesters and said an Iranian nuclear weapon is “absolutely unacceptable.”
- Pope Leo, without naming Trump, warned Thursday against those who use religion for political gain, and the Knights of Columbus defended the pope’s peace message as rooted in the Gospel.
- Vice President JD Vance backed the White House stance and said the pope should be careful when he talks about theology, while Italy’s prime minister called Trump’s remarks unacceptable and Marjorie Taylor Greene denounced the Jesus depiction as blasphemous.
- The feud unfolds as the U.S. enforces a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and polling and commentary warn of political fallout, with a CBS News/YouGov survey showing support among white voters without college degrees falling to minus four percent.