President Donald Trump lashed out in typical fashion at former swimmer and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines after she criticized his decision to post an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ.
Last week, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."
Trump later took to Truth Social in an attempt to discredit Pope Leo, saying he doesn't "want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon." Among other things, Trump said the Pope should "stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician."
Trump also posted an image—that he deleted following MAGA backlash—of himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick.
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Gaines condemned the post, saying Trump should express "humility" and that "God shall not be mocked":
"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"
You can see her post below.
When asked by CBS News if he took down the controversial image due to pressure from MAGA supporters, Trump attacked his one-time ally:
“I didn’t listen to Riley Gaines. I’m not a big fan of Riley, actually.”
Then Gaines responded to this by simping for him anyway in a post 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."
You can see her post below.
Gaines did the same in a video message to her followers. She said that while she’s “always in [Trump’s] corner” and views him as “a master troll,” she couldn’t understand why he chose to depict himself as Jesus, suggesting that even some of his supporters found that particular move confusing or difficult to defend.
At one point, she noted that her post saying "God shall not be mocked" went viral, adding:
"The comments were filled with people calling me a [Republican in name only] and a grifter and a liberal, a closeted liberal who’s trying to destroy President Trump, which those people aren’t even worth responding to."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
The second-hand embarrassment was real.
Trump's attack against Gaines comes despite the fact he and Gaines have appeared together at multiple events over the years, reflecting their shared alignment on the issue of transgender women in sports.
At last year's signing ceremony for an executive order targeting transgender athletes, Trump praised her as a “tremendous athlete” and said she had been “in the forefront” of the issue. He added that some might even see her as “the leader.”
Clearly Trump's words are meaningless.
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