Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ after launching an extraordinary attack on the Pope.

Overnight, the US president accused Pope Leo of being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" and claimed that "if I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican".

Iran war latest: Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope

In a spree of late-night Truth Social posts - including Trump-branded hotels on the Moon and other X posts from supporters - Mr Trump also shared an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ without comment.

Responses on Truth Social were atypically critical, with some followers urging the president to take the post down.

It's not the first time that the US president has shared AI images of himself: Last year, as Mr Trump prepared to order the National Guard to deploy in Chicago, he posted an AI-generated parody image of himself from Apocalypse Now.

The US president has targeted the head of the Catholic Church after he criticised the war in Iran, saying in a speech last month that God rejected the prayers of leaders who start wars and have their "hands full of blood".

He also called the conflict in Iran "atrocious" and urged Mr Trump to find an "off-ramp" and "decrease the amount of violence".

When asked about his Truth Social comments at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, Mr Trump told reporters: "We don't like a pope that's going to say that it's OK to have a nuclear weapon.

"We don't want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don't like it. I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo."

Pope Leo has never said that it is okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

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Meanwhile, speaking to Sky's US partner NBC News, Pope Leo said "I have no fear of the Trump administration", adding that his appeals for peace were rooted in the gospel.

"We are not politicians", he said. "We don't deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the gospel, as a peacemaker."

The Pope also told Reuters aboard the papal flight to Algiers that "I don't want to get into a debate with him... I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing".

Sky News has contacted the Holy See for comment on the post and Mr Trump's remarks overnight.

(c) Sky News 2026: Donald Trump shares AI image of himself as Jesus Christ after attacks on Pope Leo