'I'm Not a Big Fan of Riley, Actually': Trump Breaks With Conservative Darling After AI Jesus Backlash
After Riley Gaines criticized Trump's AI image depicting him as a Jesus-like figure, the president publicly dismissed her — telling CBS News he is "not a big fan of Riley, actually." She responded by insisting she still loves him. But the episode exposed a genuine fracture inside MAGA's Christian coalition that has been building for months.
The Post, the Backlash, and the Firing Back
On the evening of Sunday, April 12, 2026 — Orthodox Easter — President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social appearing to depict him as a Christ-like figure. The image shows a man in a white robe and red sash with divine light in one hand and the other extended over a hospital patient. A demon floats in the background. The image was a slightly altered version of one posted months earlier by right-wing influencer Nick Adams.
The timing was not incidental. Trump had posted the image within hours of launching a public attack on Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pope — calling him "weak on crime," "terrible for foreign policy," and accusing the pontiff of "catering to the Radical Left." The AI image followed that attack on the same night.
By Monday morning, the image was gone from Trump's Truth Social page. It had been live for approximately 13 hours.
Asked at an unscheduled press conference outside the Oval Office why he removed it, the president said: "Normally I don't like doing that, but I didn't want to have anybody be confused. People were confused." He insisted the image showed him as a doctor, not a divine figure. "I viewed that as a picture of me being a doctor in fixing — you had the Red Cross right there, you had medical people surrounding me," he said. He added: "I do make people better. I make people a lot better." (CBS News)
The backlash had not come from liberals. It came from Trump's own people.
What Riley Gaines Said
Riley Gaines, 25, is the former University of Kentucky competitive swimmer who became the public face of the Trump administration's campaign against transgender athletes in women's sports. She has appeared at Republican rallies, been invited to the White House multiple times, and is a regular Fox News contributor and podcast host. She is, by any measure, one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA orbit.
On Monday, after the image had circulated overnight, Gaines posted on X:
"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."
That post set off a chain of events that no one in the White House appears to have anticipated.
Trump's Response
In a phone interview with CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell, Trump was asked about Gaines' criticism. His answer was blunt:
"I didn't listen to Riley Gaines," he said. "I'm not a big fan of Riley, actually."
It was a public break from a supporter who had served as a useful face of one of the administration's signature culture war campaigns. Within hours, the story was trending nationally. (CBS News, Daily Mail)
Gaines' Response to Trump's Response
Gaines did not escalate. Monday night, she posted on X:
"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! 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. 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."
The Wrap described the move as a "declaration of love" for Trump even as the rift played out in public. (The Wrap)
Who Else Broke With Trump Over the Image
Gaines was not alone. The backlash from prominent conservative Christians was notable for its breadth and its tone:
- Megan Basham, writer at The Daily Wire: "I don't know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy. But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God." (ABC News)
- Brilyn Hollyhand, Gen-Z conservative commentator: "This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop. You don't need to portray yourself as a savior when your record should speak for itself." (Politico)
- Michael Knowles, conservative author and podcaster: "I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the president both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent." (CBS News)
- Isabel Brown, Daily Wire host: "Nothing matters more than Jesus. This post is, frankly, disgusting and unacceptable." (The Guardian)
- Allie Beth Stuckey, conservative Christian commentator: "That image is what happens when Paula White is your personal pastor and people around you are continually comparing you to Christ. Trump desperately needs to understand the bad news that precedes the Good News: you are a helpless sinner." (The Guardian)
- Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under George W. Bush and Fox News contributor: "It's inappropriate and embarrassing. It's offensive." (CBS News)
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): "I saw a lot of Republicans commenting on it last night. Some saying he's just trolling, and others saying it's anti-Christian. When you divide your own party it is self destructive. To me it was a gaudy and juvenile post." (CBS News)
- Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Republican congresswoman, who has been increasingly critical of Trump since leaving office: "On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump's war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus. This comes after last week's post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I'm praying against it!!!" (The Guardian, ABC News)
Steve Deace, a host at BlazeTV, posted a single word in response: "No." (The Guardian)
Context: The Image's Origin
The image Trump shared is a version of a post made by Nick Adams — a pro-Trump influencer and the person Trump recently appointed as Special Presidential Envoy for Tourism, Exceptionalism, and American Values. Adams originally posted a similar image months ago. It shows a white-robed figure with light radiating from its hands and a demon in the background. Someone on Trump's social media team, or Trump himself, appears to have reposted a variation without apparent vetting of how it would be perceived.
Trump's own explanation — that it showed him as a doctor — was widely viewed as unconvincing. The image contains no medical equipment, no obvious hospital branding beyond a background figure, and no symbol that would suggest a physician over a savior. (CBS News)
Why This Is Different From Previous MAGA Fractures
Trump's MAGA coalition has experienced stress fractures before. Joe Rogan and Theo Von publicly criticized the Iran war in April. Alex Jones called him "gone" before the midterms. Marjorie Taylor Greene broke with him over the Epstein files. But the Gaines episode is notable for a specific reason: she did not break with him.
Gaines criticized the post, Trump publicly rejected her, and she responded by pledging continued love and support. The dynamic illustrates the unusual loyalty mechanics inside the MAGA coalition, where even public criticism from the president does not produce defection from prominent supporters.
At the same time, the chorus of conservative Christian voices — from Ari Fleischer to Megan Basham to Allie Beth Stuckey to Michael Knowles — represents a slice of the Republican electorate that Trump cannot easily dismiss. Evangelical and conservative Catholic voters were critical to his 2024 victory margin. Polling from April 2026 shows Trump's overall approval in the low 30s. His approval among white evangelical Protestants remains higher — but fractures within that community are increasingly documented.
The Broader Pattern: Trump, Religion, and Paula White
The AI Jesus post did not occur in a vacuum. Several of Trump's religious critics pointed to a longer pattern:
- On Easter Sunday, April 5, White House senior faith advisor Paula White told Trump at a Holy Week lunch that his life followed "a familiar pattern that our lord and savior showed us" — an explicit comparison to Christ that drew immediate backlash from theologians and clergy.
- On April 12, Trump called Pope Leo XIV — who has spoken against the Iran war — "weak on crime" and said he does not want "a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon." The pope responded: "I have no fear of the Trump administration."
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly framed the Iran war in explicitly Christian terms, including praying for "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy" at a Pentagon worship service.
For the commentators who criticized the image, the AI Jesus post fit a pattern they had been watching develop — one in which the line between the president and religious figures had been increasingly blurred, by both Trump's own words and those of his closest advisers.
Allie Beth Stuckey's criticism was perhaps the most pointed: "That image is what happens when Paula White is your personal pastor."
What Is Verified
- Trump posted an AI-generated image on April 12, 2026 on Truth Social depicting a figure in white robes with light radiating from its hands. The image was deleted approximately 13 hours later. (CBS News, ABC News, The Guardian)
- Trump told reporters the image showed him as a doctor. He did not apologize. He said he deleted it because people were "confused." (CBS News)
- Trump told CBS News he is "not a big fan of Riley, actually," in response to Gaines' criticism. (CBS News, Daily Mail)
- Gaines responded publicly, saying she loves Trump and will continue supporting him. (The Wrap)
- Multiple prominent conservative figures — including Ari Fleischer, Michael Knowles, Megan Basham, Brilyn Hollyhand, and Marjorie Taylor Greene — publicly criticized the image. (CBS News, Politico, The Guardian, ABC News)
Sources: CBS News (April 13, 2026); The Guardian (April 13, 2026); ABC News (April 13, 2026); Politico (April 13, 2026); Daily Mail (April 13, 2026); The Wrap (April 13, 2026)