US President Donald Trump on Monday deleted his own social media post where he portrayed himself as a Jesus-like figure.

The AI-generated image, which was posted on his Truth Social platform late on Sunday night, showed Trump dressed in a flowing white and red robe, putting his hands on a sick man in a way typically associated with faith healing in America.

The image drew rare rebuke on social media from his most religious followers.

He was shown with light in both hands, including the hand hovering over the man's head. The Statue of Liberty, a large US flag, fireworks, a fighter jet, a person with hands clasped praying and bald eagles could all be seen in the background. Figures reminiscent of holy warriors are floating in the clouds above Trump's head.

Trump: 'I thought it was me as a doctor'
Trump deleted the photo on Monday, and when asked by reporters about it, he denied posing as Jesus and blamed the media for insinuating it.

"I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do Red Cross," he said.

"It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better," he added.

Notably, Trump provided his explanation while talking to reporters at the White House after receiving a food order from McDonald's. A DoorDash delivery service employee had brought the food to the presidential residence and also interacted with the media at the press event.

Evangelicals are strong supporters of Trump
It was not the first time Trump has used religious images in his posts. During his 2023 bank fraud trial, the president posted a sketch from a supporter that showed him sitting next to Jesus in the courtroom.

Trump draws strong support from the Christian Evangelical community and he meets regularly with religious advisors, who have repeatedly cast him in biblical terms

Over Easter lunch at the White House, Paula White-Cain, a televangelist who has served as his spiritual advisor, made one of those references.

"You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It's a familiar pattern that our Lord and Savior showed us," White-Cain said in reference to Jesus' story and how it related to Trump.

Trump doubles down on pope comments
But unlike Evangelicals, Trump has not been on good terms with the Catholic Church, which has clashed with the White House over policies such as immigration and the current war in Iran.

During his MacDonald's delivery appearance, Trump also spoke about his current feud with the Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born head of the Roman Catholic Church, who has criticized the Iran war.

"There's nothing to apologize for. He's wrong," Trump told reporters.

"Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran," said Trump.

He added that Leo was "very weak on crime and other things."