Back in Washington, President Trump found himself embroiled in controversy — some of it bizarrely self-made. On Sunday, Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus Christ-like figure, bathed in divine light and apparently healing a stricken man in a hospital bed, complete with a demon hovering in the background.
The backlash was swift and came from an unexpected quarter: Trump’s own loyal Christian base. High-profile evangelical supporters, who have stood by the president through numerous indiscretions, could not contain their fury at what they saw as blasphemy. Trump subsequently deleted the image and offered a remarkable explanation: “I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross,” he told reporters at the White House. “Only fake news could come up with that one.”
In a more substantive development, the Trump administration quietly reversed course on a culturally charged issue, agreeing to keep flying the rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall national monument in New York. The government had removed the flag in February, prompting a lawsuit from LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups. The settlement, which still requires judicial approval, represents a rare retreat for an administration that has aggressively targeted LGBTQ+ symbols and protections.
Meanwhile, Congress returned to a politically treacherous landscape: a historic Department of Homeland Security shutdown remains unresolved, and the Senate is set to debate Trump’s “Save America” act, which would require new voters to prove US citizenship — a measure critics call voter suppression dressed up as election security.
