MacArthur “genius” fellowship winner and well-known social justice advocate, the Rev. William J. Barber II, has rebuked President Donald Trump for what he described as “heresy” and “war on divinity,” for sharing an AI-generated image of himself on social media that many say presents him as Jesus.
Barber, who is also a professor in the practice of public theology and public policy and the founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, held up a copy of the controversial Jesus-like image during a press conference on Tuesday as he rebuked the president for his “public demonism.”
“This is not in line with the Gospel. This is a form of heresy, a form of madness, a form of idolatry [that] points to a kind of public demonism which requires public exorcism and truthful speaking in the public square,” Barber said.
“This represents what happens when you allow it to go on too long, unchecked and unchallenged. Which is why all of us must say we repent of being too quiet or we repent of not being loud enough and focused enough. But a day has now come that we enter into the public square and we won’t be silent anymore.”
In the since-deleted image shared on Truth Social on Sunday, President Trump was shown wearing a white-and-red robe typically used in renderings depicting the return of Jesus. The president has stated that he thought the image was “me as a doctor,” but many Christian critics, like Barber, felt it was idolatrous.
“There are times that compel people of faith to speak, servants of Jesus to speak, proclaimers of the Gospel to speak, and to engage in truth-telling, to engage in forms of public exorcism rooted in deep radical love,” Barber said, surrounded by a group of Christians he described as non-partisan.
He said he was speaking out with the hope that “those whom we challenge” would come to repentance.
In his criticism of Trump, Barber raised a laundry list of concerns about his role in the Christian community, including ongoing tensions with American-born Pope Leo XIV. Trump has accused the pontiff of being too liberal and “weak on crime.” In turn, the pope has criticized Trump for inflammatory comments he made on social media about raining “Hell” on Iran in the ongoing war.
“Why is the pope teaching what Jesus said getting under his skin? Why is that bothering the president so bad? This religious nationalist movement has been for so long saying that he is sent from God, as Franklin Graham. Well, if one was sent from God, why would you be so bothered about what Jesus said?” Barber asked.
“It raises the question, are you trying to compete with God? … An AI image of him as Jesus. It’s blasphemy. It’s heresy. It’s sinful. It’s idolatrous. And even though this morning he’s trying to walk it back and say it was a doctor, that’s still problematic,” Barber continued. “What doctor would come in your room and say, ‘I’m here to heal you,’ and the images floating around would be bombs and missiles and fire?”
On Wednesday, Trump shared a different image of himself being embraced by Jesus in front of the American flag with the message: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”
Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, said in a statement on X Thursday that he doesn’t believe the president would knowingly present himself as Jesus.
“I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ — that would certainly be inappropriate. 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 — he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post,” Graham wrote.
“When I looked at the illustration, I didn’t jump to the same conclusion as some. There were no spiritual references — no halo, there were no crosses, no angels. It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles, the Statue of Liberty, and I think this is a lot to do about nothing,” he added. “There is so much ill-intended speculation. I think his enemies are always foaming at the mouth at any possible opportunity to make him look bad.”
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