JD Vance came to Donald Trump’s defense, calling the AI-generated Jesus image a joke. Trump shared a photo of himself in a white robe in a now-deleted post. The image showed him with glowing hands touching a sick man’s forehead, surrounded by a nurse and a military officer. When a reporter asked him about the photo, Trump said he was meant to be portraying a doctor.
His post came after another long Truth Social rant slamming Pope Leo XIV. In a lengthy post, the president claimed that the pope was “WEAK” on crime for slamming him over the war with Iran.
Vance: 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 what going on in the Catholic Church and let the President to dictating American public policy pic.twitter.com/HcFoMpKGYT
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 13, 2026
Vance was asked about the image on Fox News. He said, “And, of course, he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case. I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media.” Vance, who turned catholic in 2019 and is now writing a memoir, also praised the president’s unfiltered style.
Moreover, he asked the Vatican to let the president do his job. He said, “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.”
He added that Trump has to cater to the U.S.’s interests, and the conflict between the two is a natural thing. At times, there may be some disagreements since the Pope was speaking for the Radical Left.
CNN Vatican Analyst Katie McGrady confirms Pope Leo directly condemned Donald Trump’s unhinged threat to end an entire civilization over a failed deal. The Pope is actively using his global moral authority to stand against the White House’s horrific warmongering. pic.twitter.com/LFE74khPd0
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) April 14, 2026
Trump received backlash from Senators and Catholics after hurting their sentiments with the AI photo. Needless to say, Vance also got bashed for defending the president. One political commentator on X wrote, “Glad the Vice President clarified that he doesn’t think waging war is a matter of morality.”
Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the photo blasphemous. She said, “I completely denounce this, and I’m praying against it.” A writer, Polly Singh, wrote, “Spoken just like a fake Catholic who confused a Methodist church with a Catholic one on the cover of his book.”
Another X user posted, “The pope speaking out when a president threatens an entire civilization is absolutely in his lane. MORAL LEADERSHIP doesn’t clock out at church doors. Trump threatened humanity.”
Clearly, any justification for the Jesus image isn’t working in Trump’s favor. Pope Leo called out Trump’s remarks about ending civilization as unacceptable. Moreover, he added, “delusions of omnipotence” are causing conflicts in the world.
