Trump addresses deleted photo: 'It's supposed to be me as a doctor'

President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he had posted an image of himself appearing to heal a sick man, but indicated that he had not perceived it as representing him as Jesus Christ.

"It wasn't depicted--- I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor," Trump said. "Only the fake news could come up with that one... It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better!"

Trump deleted the photo from his Truth Social after widespread backlash. The image showed him wearing robes commonly associated with Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles while the president healed a sick man by placing his hand on his head.

A number of people perceived the photo as portraying Trump as Christ and a number of replies on his own post saw his supporters ask him to take the image down. He posted the picture after a lengthy tirade in which he criticized the Pope for his criticisms of the Iran war and other Trump policies.

"I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon," he said. "I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do..."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.