Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Saturday used a town hall-style event in Oklahoma to take on Donald Trump for sharing an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure on his Truth Social platform.
Buttigieg, minutes into his opening remarks in Tulsa, addressed Christians who grew up in households where being Christian and conservative were considered “one and the same.”
“Maybe you’ve come along for a lot of things that have gone in the last few years in our politics but when you see the president insult your faith by depicting himself as the risen Lord healing somebody, you got something to say about that,” said Buttigieg, who sparked applause from the red state crowd.
He continued, “Especially since, after insulting your faith by circulating that image, he turned around and insulted your intelligence by saying he thought that was a picture of him being a doctor.”
“By the way, he’s not a doctor, either!”
Buttigieg: Maybe when you see the president insult your faith by depicting himself as the risen Lord, healing somebody, you’ve got something to say about that.
Especially since, after insulting your faith by circulating that image, he turned around and insulted your intelligence… pic.twitter.com/5MYJ8bjdgO
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 19, 2026
The president’s AI Jesus-like post drew swift criticism from conservatives, faith leaders and his own base while his feud with Pope Leo XIV served as a backdrop to the backlash last week.
Trump world figures like Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) downplayed the post or simply tried to brush it off.
The president told reporters on Monday he made the post, which has since been deleted, and claimed that it depicted him as a doctor.
Trump has since shared a separate image on his platform showing Jesus embracing him along with a U.S. flag-themed background.
Ahead of Buttigieg’s speech in Tulsa, he spoke at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Kansas on Friday where he commented on Vance recently warning the pontiff to “be careful” and not get political when discussing “matters of theology.”
“You’re my kind of Democrats who understand that God does not belong to a political party in the United States of America. Nor can I imagine any leader we support telling the pope what he ought to do on matters of theology,” said Buttigieg before referring to Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019.
“That’s crazy. He’s been Catholic about as long as I’ve been middle-aged and he thinks he can lecture the pope on Catholic theology.”
