The backstory on the AI image of Jesus: Trump spoke to Bill Pulte before releasing it

Donald Trump spoke with Bill Pulte about the AI-generated image of Jesus Christ he posted on Truth Social. So reported Axios after speaking with advisers close to the president. The official, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is the same official who is pushing the investigation against Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve. According to the cited media, "he is an omnipresent figure in the president's circle," both in the White House and at Mar-a-Lago.

The controversial photo was published on Sunday, April 12, and showed the president in white clothing, healing a sick person against a sky background. Some interpreted the president as assuming the role of Jesus Christ. After criticism from many conservatives on social media, Trump decided to remove it. On the same day, Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV for his stance on immigration and the Iran war, claiming he is doing "damage" to the Catholic Church.

According to advisers who spoke to Axios, Trump and Pulte spent time together over the weekend in Florida: "Pulte brought the image to Trump's attention, the advisers told Axios. It's not clear whether he just displayed the rendering on his phone or actually sent it to the president."

Then, one of the aides noted that "everyone thought it was a joke," while another, close to Pulte, denied that the official showed the image to the president.

Both the comments against the pope and the Truth Social image provoked a negative reaction from archbishops, priests and many Catholics throughout the country. One of the most resounding criticisms came from the Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Robert Barron, one of the most influential Catholic voices in the country and also a member of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission. He was joined by two conservative media figures close to Trump: activist Riley Gaines and MAGA influencer Brilyn Hollyhand, among others.