President Trump’s now-deleted AI-generated picture of himself as Jesus has caused quite a stir on all fronts, including people from both sides of the political spectrum, celebrities, and religious leaders. Trump is no stranger to posting controversial AI-generated images. However, this one post depicting himself as Jesus has drawn backlash, with critics saying it went too far.
Daily Show host Jon Stewart also joined the bandwagon of celebrities who bashed and mocked Trump over the image. Stewart also pointed out a rather creepy detail in the picture, as he mentioned that the person that Trump appears to be healing in the image looks like Stewart himself.
Talking about the same, Stewart said, “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. I mean, from the picture, it looks like it was touch-and-go with me for a while. This is freaking me the f— out.”
He also added, “I like how there’s only so much AI can do. AI is like, ‘Look, I can give you the fireworks and the healing powers and I can make you Jesus. But you weigh what you weigh.’”
Trump’s AI image showed him to be seemingly healing a person dressed in attire resembling Jesus. However, when asked about the same, the president claimed that he thought that it was showing him as a doctor, adding, “I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker, which we support.”
He further mentioned, “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” Stewart, like most of the people who criticized Trump, did not buy this explanation as he said, “Do you even care about lying to us anymore? Is this over? Has this relationship gone stale? Your lies used to have a real spark. ‘They’re eating the cats and dogs! Venezuela stole the 2020 election!’ And now the best you’ve got is, ‘Eh, no, I wasn’t Jesus. I’m a doctor!’ You need to go back and find your happy place and fast.”
The comedian also bashed Trump over his criticism of Pope Leo, whose comments on the US-Iran war has irked Trump. The Pope had previously criticized the war and also mentioned that God does not support those who support violence. While he did not take Trump’s name directly, his comments were interpreted to be aimed at the Trump administration, who are largely behind the war situation with Iran.
Stewart wondered, “It does not come into my brain that anyone in the world hearing the Pope’s message of peace will have some kind of weird problem with it” as Trump took to social media to publicly call the Pope “weak” and a “loser.”
While criticizing the president, the comedian also took a jab at the Church, saying, “I am really starting to sour on this president. Look, President Trump, I know the Vatican’s been critical of your policies, but you gotta remember that at the end of the day you and the Catholic Church both historically care deeply about the same thing — covering up sex scandals.”
Besides Stewart, White Stripes singer Jack White criticized the president and also slammed his Christian fans for tolerating this “blasphemous” act. The backlash regarding the AI image happened to be so swift and vigorous that Trump did something he rarely does: delete the image even after defending it. However, the image continues to circulate widely online, highlighting the growing controversy surrounding the political use of AI imagery.