Franklin Graham defends Trump’s deleted Jesus image, calls backlash ‘a lot to do about nothing’
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesEvangelist Franklin Graham on Thursday defended President Trump after the president deleted an AI-generated image from his Truth Social account that many critics said depicted him as a Jesus-like figure, dismissing the uproar as politically motivated overreach.
Mr. Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and one of the nation’s most prominent Christian voices, said he did not believe Mr. Trump knowingly portrayed himself as the Son of God when he posted the image Sunday evening.
“I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ — that would certainly be inappropriate,” Mr. Graham wrote. “I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that this was not at all what he thought the AI-generated image was representing.”
Mr. Graham said the image contained no overtly religious imagery — no halos, crosses or angels — and instead featured patriotic symbols, including soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles and the Statue of Liberty.
“I think this is a lot to do about nothing,” he wrote, attributing the backlash to Mr. Trump’s political enemies.
The AI-generated image, which showed Mr. Trump in a white robe with a red sash appearing to tend to a sick person, drew criticism from some conservative Christian commentators who called it blasphemous — a rare instance of right-leaning religious voices publicly rebuking the president.
Mr. Trump deleted the post Monday and told reporters he believed the image showed him as a doctor. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better,” he said, adding that “only the fake news” would interpret it otherwise.
Mr. Graham also noted that Mr. Trump did not create the image himself but reposted it. He called Mr. Trump “the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime” and praised his record on religious liberty.
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The deletion marked the second time in three months that Mr. Trump removed a Truth Social post following internal party backlash. In February, he took down a video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who broke with Mr. Trump ahead of her congressional departure, rejected Mr. Graham’s framing.
“Franklin Graham of all people, who is frequently at the WH and with Trump, should be leading Trump to be a Christian, NOT telling other Christians that Trump did nothing wrong when he committed blasphemy,” Ms. Greene wrote on X.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday reposted a separate image showing Jesus with his hand on the president’s shoulder, writing that “the Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice.”
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