As President Donald Trump faces backlash for recent social media posts attacking the pope and apparently positioning him as Jesus Christ, Vice President JD Vance, an adult convert to Catholicism, is sticking up for the commander-in-chief.
“First of all, Bret, I think the president was posting a joke, and of course, he took it down, because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor,” said Vance in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier of the Jesus-coded post. He added: “I think the president of the United States likes to mix it up on social media.”
That post included an artificial intelligence-generated image depicting Trump in white and red robes hovering over what looked like a sick man in bed. They were flanked by others, including a nurse, and there were fireworks in the background.
Host Jon Stewart of “the Daily Show” noticed that Trump appeared to be helping a man in bed who looked a little like, well, Stewart himself. He joked, “I know I don’t have the vigor and spunk of my MTV days, but I didn’t know we were here already… I didn’t realize my look had reached leper territory.”
Stewart wasn’t the only person who commented on the post. In fact, Wired noted that it even “outraged some supporters who likened Trump’s behavior to the antichrist – a figure in Christian theology who opposes Christ and whose appearance many believe could augur the end of time.”
According to The Independent, Vance’s comments about the post on Fox were “shredded” on social media. Trump also addressed the post Monday when he told reporters that he thought the image showed him as a doctor and that it was connected to the Red Cross.
However, this not the first time that Trump and Vance have been caught in a religious kerfuffle. Last May, following the death of Pope Francis, Trump joked on social media that he would like to be pope. He also shared an AI-generated image of himself in papal attire.
“As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” Vance said at the time when asked about the post.
This time, Trump’s controversial Jesus-coded post comes as the U.S. is trying to disentangle itself from war with Iran. Trump announced that the U.S. would join Israel to attack Iran in late February, a move that has resulted in a blockage at the Strait of Hormuz, stalling oil transportation, making prices go up at the pump in the U.S., and claiming the lives of U.S. servicemembers as well as Iranian military, officials and civilians.
Vance was reportedly against going to war with Iran. He recently went to Pakistan to work on a peace deal as polls continue to show that Americans are concerned about the U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern war.
There’s also Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV to contend with. Both the current pope – the first from the U.S. – and his predecessor criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Pope Leo has also advocated against war.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” said Trump in an April 12 Truth Social post. “He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart.”
He also claimed in the long post that the pope’s brother is “all MAGA” and that the pope “thinks it’s ok for Iran to have Nuclear Weapon,” though the pope has specifically spoke out against nuclear weapons, per this PBS fact check.
“God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” said a Tuesday X post from the pontiff, who is the worldwide leader of the Catholic church. “But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day. Wherever there is love and service, God is there.”
In a Tuesday letter, the pope also said: “We know that justice and fortitude are indispensable for sound decision-making and for putting decisions into practice. Temperance also proves essential for the legitimate use of authority, for true temperance restrains inordinate self-exaltation and acts as a guardrail against the abuse of power.”
Catholicism has a dogma of papal infallibility. However, Vance is associated with “with a Catholic intellectual movement... viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings,” members of the movement are called postliberals, per the Associated Press.
The Independent noted that Trump’s “scathing” Truth Social post about the pope came a week after he described the president’s claim that an “entire civilization will die” in the war with Iran as “unacceptable.” In response to the president’s tirade, the pope said he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”
“We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective (as) he might understand it,” Pope Leo explained, according to CNN. “But I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
Vance told Baier he doesn’t think the tension between Trump and the pope is “newsworthy.”
“I think it’s a good thing, actually, that the pope is advocating for the things that he cares about,” said the vie president, who suggested that disagreements between the U.S. government and the Vatican are expected.
Some other religious supporters of Trump have had a different reaction to the recent developments. Wired said the president’s actions have “caused a major schism among his supporters that could have lasting effects for him and the Republican Party.”
According to The New York Times, “Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV are causing fresh headaches for Republicans,” as they count on Catholic votes in the upcoming November midterm elections. It also said that the president’s “broadsides against Leo this week prompted widespread condemnation from Catholic bishops, activists and lay leaders.”
A poll conducted March 20-23 jointly by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research and cited by the National Catholic Register found that Trump’s support from Catholics has dipped below 50%, with 53% disapproving of the job he’s doing as president. That’s after winning the 2024 election with support from a majority of Catholic voters.
