Influential evangelical Rev Franklin Graham dismisses controversy over Trump’s AI Jesus post as ‘a lot to do about nothing’
The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham and a prominent evangelical figure close to Donald Trump’s administration, does not believe the president “knowingly” portrayed himself as a Christ-like figure in a now-deleted AI-generated image.
In a post on the Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump depicted herself in a white dress and a red sash, with a glowing hand stretched across the forehead of a man in a hospital bed. The president later said this showed “I am a doctor.”
In the shared statement IndependentGraham condemned what he called “malicious speculation” about the president’s image, a stark contrast to the response from other faith leaders — including conservative evangelicals — who accused him of using outlandish profanities and mocking sacred symbols to serve a political agenda.
“When I looked at the picture, I didn’t come to the same conclusion as some of them,” Graham said.
“There were no spiritual references; no halo, no cross, no angel,” he added. “I think it’s a lot about nothing. There’s so much malicious speculation. I think his enemies are foaming at the mouth at every opportunity to make him look bad.”
Pastor Franklin Graham criticized “malicious speculation” about Trump’s post and said the president’s “enemies are foaming at the mouth at every opportunity to make him look bad” (Reuters)
Graham said he did not believe Trump “would knowingly portray himself as Jesus Christ, that would be absolutely inappropriate.”
“I’m grateful that the president made it clear that this was absolutely not what he thought the AI-generated image represented; he thought it was a doctor helping someone and quickly removed the post when he learned of the concerns,” Graham added.
Graham, a prominent evangelist and president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was allied with the president through both of his administrations.
He recently appeared at the White House to celebrate Easter with other Christian pastors, including Robert Jeffress, a longtime religious adviser to Trump who leads First Baptist Church in Dallas.
On Palm Sunday, Trump shared a letter from Graham on the social media platform addressing his suggestion that the president thought he would go to hell. “I don’t think there’s anything that can get me into heaven, okay?” Trump speculated about Air Force One last year.
In response, Graham wrote: “Perhaps you responded jokingly, but making sure your soul is safe and spends eternity in God’s presence is an important matter.”
“I love Donald Trump” and “we will never find another president like him,” Graham said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas last month.
“That’s why it’s important that we do everything we can to get him re-elected,” he said.
In his statement immediately following his remarks, Graham said he “misspoke”.
Graham, a long-time Trump ally, said he was ‘thankful’ the president claimed the photo showed him as a ‘doctor’ (AFP/Getty)
His latest comments follow a wave of bipartisan outrage from conservative Christian commentators and pastors who normally align with the president’s agenda.
However, evangelical figures close to the president have so far either refused to weigh in publicly or have opened the door for Trump to use this incident as a teachable moment.
The fragile alliance between conservative Catholics and evangelicals has led to the president’s opposition to Pope Benedict XIV. He is increasingly tested by his growing hostility towards Leo and the Catholic leadership, as well as the administration’s portrayal of the war with Iran as a Christian calling.
“I’m not a Catholic, I’m an evangelical, but I appreciate how President Trump has defended the religious freedom of people of all faiths, including millions of evangelicals and Catholics in the United States and around the world,” Graham said in his statement.
“He’s the most pro-Christian, pro-life president I’ve ever seen, and he doesn’t shy away from it,” she added. “I hope the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point and the Pope will have the opportunity to thank the President for his efforts to protect religious freedom.”
