Franklin Graham says Pope should thank Trump

Evangelist Franklin Graham says he hopes the Pope and Donald Trump will meet - and that the Pontiff should express his thanks to the President.

Writing on social media platform X, the son of the late Billy Graham said he was sharing "thoughts" having "received some questions about President Trump's recent posts".

The US leader was roundly criticised by many for a post in which he was widely seen as portraying himself as Jesus. But Franklin Graham says he does not believe Trump would "knowingly depict" himself as Christ, and appears to accept the explanation subsequently given that the President thought it pictured him as a doctor.

He adds that he hopes that Pope Leo and the President will meet, with the Pontiff having the opportunity to thank Trump for his "efforts to protect religious liberty".

The comments came as the Pope renewed his criticism of global conflict, speaking out against leaders who spend billions on wars. He said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," the BBC reported.

Leo criticised leaders who "turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to ​be found."

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," the Pope added.

Writing on X, Franklin Graham said: "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.

The earlier social media post which Trump said showed him as a doctor

"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," Graham said.

"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 [see picture below]. We all need that—we all need to be listening to Jesus.

Above: Trump's new social media post, apparently showing Jesus hugging him with a US flag in the background.

"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," Graham suggested.

Towards the end of his life in 2011, Franklin's father Billy Graham was asked by Christianity Today, a magazine he helped launch, if there was anything he would have done differently. He responded: “I would have steered clear of politics. I’m grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to. But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn’t do that now.”