Franklin Graham, the prominent Christian evangelist, chief of the Samaritan’s Purse global aid ministry and executive for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is calling out the critics of President Donald Trump for their “ill-intended speculation.”
“I think his enemies are always foaming at the mouth at any possible opportunity to make him look bad,” Graham wrote in a letter to the White House that Trump posted on social media.
The comments come after a ruckus created by Trump opponents over various images that were generated of the president. He has been accused of “blasphemy” for the images that critics say portray Trump as a messiah.
Graham wrote he’d been approached with questions.
“I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate. 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—he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post.”
Graham continued, “When I looked at the illustration, I didn’t jump to the same conclusion as some. There were no spiritual references—no halo, there were no crosses, no angels. It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles, the Statue of Liberty, 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. And the illustration from someone else he reposted on Truth Social yesterday, 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.”
Graham pointed out, “We all need that—we all need to be listening to Jesus. Again, I think there is an attempt to spin this into something that it isn’t. Remember, 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. I’m not a Catholic, I’m an evangelical, but I appreciate how President Trump has defended religious freedom for people of all faiths, including millions of evangelicals and Catholics in the U.S. and around the world. He is the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime, and he doesn’t shy away from it. 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.”
I had received some questions about President @realDonaldTrump‘s recent posts, and here are my thoughts:
I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate. I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that…
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 16, 2026
The AI image Trump posted Thursday showed a Jesus-like figure speaking to Trump. An earlier image showed Trump in a robe as he laid hand on a man in a hospital bed.
That post was deleted after a wave of opposition, and the president said he shared it because he “thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross.”
Graham also cited Pope Leo XIV, who hails from Chicago and has been harshly oppositional to Trump’s efforts to follow America’s laws regarding immigration and the border.
Trump has noted, “He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
WND has reported that one original image was posted on X by Dan Kelly, a former congressional candidate in Massachusetts, whose comment above the image states: “I was never a religious man … but doesn’t it see, with all these satanic, demonic, child-sacrificing monsters being exposed … the God might be playing his Trump card!”
In resharing the image on Truth Social, Trump noted: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”
🚨Trump dropped this post!
Media worshipping Obama like he was the second coming of Christ… halos, messiah posters, ‘The First Gay President’ headlines.
Zero outrage. Zero fact-checks. Zero meltdowns. pic.twitter.com/Y58PoN2POx
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 15, 2026
WorldNetDaily also had reported, Trump ignited controversy among many of his fans when he posted Sunday night an image of himself healing a sick man. Amid the uproar, he deleted it by midday Monday.
The president blasted “fake news” interpretations of the image, telling White House reporters Monday afternoon: “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one.”
President Trump claims the viral image that was posted on Truth was not a depiction of him as Jesus Christ but was him being depicted as a doctor.
Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
Trump: I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor… pic.twitter.com/4pfSRFPdrp
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 13, 2026
