Monday at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue wasn’t exactly quiet — because when is it ever — as President Donald Trump tried to put distance between himself and a now-deleted social media post that lit up conservative corners of the internet and left critics accusing him of blasphemous imagery.
The image in question, which the president has since scrubbed, reportedly depicted him in a Christ-like pose — something that predictably set off a media feeding frenzy and even stirred tension with some of his own supporters.
Trump, however, waved off the controversy with his signature brush-off, insisting it was all a misunderstanding.
“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
“I just heard about it, and I said, ‘How did they come up with that?’ It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better,” he added.
But the real political-social-media twist came when CBS News pressed him on whether the post was taken down because of criticism from former NCAA swimmer-turned-commentator Riley Gaines — a prominent conservative voice on women’s sports and culture issues.
Trump wasn’t exactly in the fan club mood.
“I didn’t listen to Riley Gaines. I’m not a big fan of Riley, actually.”
That line set off a response from Gaines that leaned less political firestorm and more full-blown faith sermon.
Despite the friction, Gaines made clear she wasn’t abandoning Trump or the broader “America First” orbit. In fact, she doubled down on both loyalty and theology. “I love the President and I’m so grateful he’s in the Oval Office. Of course, I’ll continue to support him and the America First agenda. At the end of the day, I do nothing for the approval of man. Our purpose on this earth is to glorify Him in all we do. The truth social post missed the mark. It’s now deleted. Amazing!”
She continued, “We’re imperfect people. I know I am. I don’t get my feelings hurt easy and I know with the President it’s really not personal. I want to spend eternity in a real place called Heaven. I’d love for Trump to be there too,” Gaines continued. “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I’ll keep doing my part by speaking truth & doing my best to lead others to Christ. (and no, I won’t be selling merch with this insults on them hahaha).”
In a follow-up video posted online, Gaines revisited the backlash and her initial reaction to the now-deleted post, noting how quickly the story escalated once media outlets picked it up.
Earlier, she had already questioned the post publicly, writing: “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”
