Mr Trump has become embroilled in a war of words with the Pope (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has once more launched a stinging social media attack on the Pope as the row over an AI image depicting him as Jesus continues. The US President has directed his ire at the pontiff throughout the week, accusing him of being “weak on crime and nuclear weapons” following his criticism of the Iran war.
The Pope has indicated he will continue to “stand up and say there’s a better way” and that he is “not afraid of the Trump administration”, although he also said he did not intend to “get into a debate” with Mr Trump. Overnight, the US president continued his war of words, posting about the threat of a nuclear Iran which has for weeks been used as a justification for the conflict.
He wrote: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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The Pope says he does not fear Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
“AMERICA IS BACK!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The ongoing war of words comes as the president was forced to delete an AI image that seemingly depicted himself as Jesus Christ.
The now-deleted image, on the US president’s Truth Social account, showed Mr Trump in a white robe with a glowing outstretched hand on the forehead of a man lying in a bed.
It was later taken down from the platform and Mr Trump claimed that he never intended to liken himself to the son of God.
Asked about it, he said: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.
“And I do make people better.
“I make people a lot better.”
However Trump was widely criticised for the image, including by some within his own MAGA base.
Speaking about the post, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe told BBC Newsnight: “I thought it was just quite frankly bizarre.
“People have often said that they think that it’s blasphemous.
“I think that implies an attack on Christianity, which President Trump I don’t think intended, but it does show a complete misunderstanding of what Christianity is about.”
Asked about Mr Trump saying the image depicted him as a doctor, Cardinal Radcliffe added: “I find it very strange.
“I’ve met many doctors in my life and none of them have glowed quite like that.”
Mr Trump also directed his fury towards NATO for its refusal to participate in offensive strikes against Iran.
In a separate Truth Social post, he wrote: “NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!”
Mr Trump has previously labelled the defensive alliance as “shameful” over its refusal, as he once more criticised UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his response.
The Republican leader again compared Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, whose premiership was defined by his 1930s appeasement of Nazi Germany.
