US Vice President JD Vance described President Donald Trump's controversial social media post depicting himself as Jesus Christ as a 'joke.' In an interview on Fox News, Vance said Trump made the post for humorous purposes and removed it after the backlash. The Vice President said Trump prefers to communicate directly and unfiltered on social media, and that this is part of his character.
Trump's post came at a time of disagreements with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war. Vance said there can be occasional differences of opinion with the Vatican, but that this is normal. He also stressed that the Vatican should focus on moral issues, while the US President should continue his task of setting public policy.
Trump argued that in the post he depicted himself as a doctor and contributed to people's healing. However, the post drew widespread criticism and was removed by Trump. Vance added that he did not think the disagreements with the Pope were newsworthy.