US President Donald Trump has said he believed an AI-generated image he shared on social media showed him “as a doctor”, as criticism continued over the post and his remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV.
Later, Trump told reporters that, though he had posted the image, he thought it depicted him “as a doctor”.
“And had to do with the Red Cross as a Red Cross worker, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one,” he said.
He also said he does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.
The image was shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Sunday and was removed the next day. It showed him in a white robe placing a hand on a man’s head in a scene resembling a healing.
The post followed a separate message in which Trump criticised the pope, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.
Pope Leo responded on Monday while travelling to Algiers at the start of an 11-day visit to four African countries.
“I don’t want to get into a debate with him,” Pope Leo said.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he added.
“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way,” he continued.
Tensions between the White House and the Vatican have been building in recent months, including over immigration policy, military actions and the US-Israel war on Iran.
Italian Prime Minister (PM) Giorgia Meloni also reacted to Trump’s remarks.
“I find President Trump’s words towards the Holy Father unacceptable. The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,” she said in a statement.
