Journal for the Study of Religion

Social media erupted after Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ in April 2026.

This follows his self-portrayal as the pope in late 2025, recurring attacks on Pope Leo XIV and his ongoing provocations toward Iran: some call Trump’s antics blasphemy, others, predictably, simply go along with it. For Trump ideologues, Deepfake Jesus Trump was not blasphemy, but prophecy.

Immediately after, Monty Python’s famous quip popped into my head: “He’s not the messiah; he’s a very naughty boy!” Yet, to a growing segment of the Christian right, Trump has become nothing short of a messiah.

This is not unique. The apotheosis of Trump is the culmination of a longer politically idolatrous history within Christianity, predating to antiquity. In America, historian Richard Hofstadter identified this in 1963 as evangelical anti-intellectualism in American life: one that privileges emotion and “common sense” over reason and facts. (Read further...)