• What Happened: Rev. Franklin Graham issued a statement Thursday defending President Trump after an AI-generated image showing Trump in a Christ-like pose sparked backlash before being deleted.
  • Why It Matters: Trump said he thought the image showed him as "a doctor making people better" and deleted it after pushback including from House Speaker Mike Johnson. He then reposted a second image showing Jesus with His hand on Trump's shoulder, writing "The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!"
  • Bottom Line: Graham called Trump "the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime" and said the whole controversy is enemy spin. He expressed hope Trump and Pope Leo XIV can one day meet, with the Pope thanking Trump for protecting religious liberty.

Franklin Graham looked at the AI-generated image that sent the media into a frenzy and reached a different conclusion than most of the press corps.

"I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ," Graham said Thursday in a statement posted to X. "That would certainly be inappropriate."

But Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was not issuing a rebuke. He was issuing a defense.

"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," Graham continued. "He thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post."

The image, which Trump posted Monday on Truth Social before deleting it, showed Trump in a white robe with a red sash, touching a sick person, with a nurse, a member of the military, an eagle, aircraft, the Statue of Liberty, and an American flag in the background. Outrage followed immediately, with critics claiming Trump was depicting himself as Jesus Christ. House Speaker Mike Johnson also called on Trump to remove it. Trump did, and then offered his explanation.

"It was supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better," Trump said. "Only the fake news could come up with that one."

Graham said he did not jump to the same conclusions when he saw the image, pointing out the absence of any traditionally Christian symbols. "It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles, the Statue of Liberty," Graham said. "And I think this is a lot to do about nothing. 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."

By Wednesday, Trump had already moved on, reposting a different image on Truth Social showing Jesus with His hand on Trump's shoulder. Trump captioned it: "The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT." The meme caption beneath it read, "I was never a very religious man … but doesn't it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed … that God might be playing his Trump card!"

Graham said he preferred the second image considerably. "I must say that I like the fact that this is a picture of Jesus whispering in his ear, or at least His hand on his shoulder, guiding him," he said. "We all need that. We all need to be listening to Jesus."

Graham also pushed back on the broader framing that Trump created either image. "President Trump didn't draw this, he didn't create it, he reposted it on his social media because he thought it was nice. I would have to agree."

The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of Trump's ongoing public clash with Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump called "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." Graham, an evangelical, said he is not Catholic but appreciates what Trump has done for Christians of all traditions.

"He is the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime, and he doesn't shy away from it," Graham said. "I would hope that the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point, and that the Pope would have the opportunity to thank the President for his efforts to protect religious liberty for Catholics and people of all faiths."

Not every evangelical voice agreed with Graham's assessment. Rev. Tony Suarez, a longtime member of Trump's own evangelical advisory board, told Religion News Service that the original image was "disappointing and shouldn't have been posted." Douglas Wilson, a minister, said he was "very grateful to see how many conservative Christians immediately denounced the blasphemous Jesus/Trump image."

Graham did not waver. His read of the situation: an enemy media desperate for any angle, and a president whose pro-Christian record speaks for itself.