Iran's Tajikistan Embassy Drops Explosive Clip Of Jesus Punching Trump Amid AI Image Row

Several Iranian diplomatic accounts have launched a satirical social media offensive mocking US President Donald Trump for an AI-generated image he posted portraying himself as a Jesus-like figure. The controversy started after Trump shared an AI-generated picture on Truth Social showing himself in flowing robes, placing a glowing hand on a sick man in a biblical style.

On April 15, the Iranian embassy in Tajikistan shared a modified version of the viral clip, adding a new dimension to the already heated online discourse. In this edited version, a furious Jesus Christ is depicted attacking Donald Trump, a stark reversal of the earlier AI-generated imagery that had shown Trump in a Christ-like role.

Trump's AI-Jesus image controversy

Trump's AI-generated image depicting him as Jesus Christ healing a sick man sparked intense backlash from Christian activists, conservative commentators, and even allies. Many labelled the image blasphemous or inappropriate, warning it might alienate his evangelical base. Critics, including evangelical journalists and Catholic bishops, warned that "God shall not be mocked." 

Though Trump later acknowledged sharing the image, he rejected the interpretation that it portrayed him in a religious light. Speaking to reporters, he described it as an image of himself as a doctor. However, following intense backlash from religious conservatives at home and mockery from Iran abroad, Trump deleted the post, citing public "confusion" over its intent. 

The episode has intensified religious, political, and diplomatic tensions, with Tehran utilising the image as a satirical tool in its ongoing diplomatic rift with the US over the conflict in the region

Earlier, the Embassy of Iran in South Africa reposted the image with a caption referencing Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting past associations to mock the former president's attempt at a divine persona. The embassy shared the same image on X with a caption asking if the sick man being "healed" by Trump was actually Jeffrey Epstein, mocking the president's past associations.

Notably, Trump had shared the image just hours after he had posted a separate message where he criticised Pope Leo XIV, who has been vocal in his criticism of the US's and Israel's unilateral war on Iran.