Tillis on Trump’s reasoning for posting AI Jesus image: ‘I’ll take it at face value’

Sen. Thom Tillis stated he would accept President Trump's explanation for posting an AI image depicting Trump as a Jesus-like figure 'at face value,' while expressing greater concern about Trump's comments regarding Pope Leo XIV. The Hill conducted an exclusive interview with Tillis, though the article excerpt provided lacks substantive detail on what Trump's stated reasoning actually was or what Tillis's specific concerns about the pope comments entail. Independent coverage from NBC News and BBC confirms the image generated backlash from evangelical Christians who viewed it as blasphemous, while Trump claimed he intended it to depict him as a doctor; multiple outlets also document Trump subsequently deleted the post and disputed that conservative pressure drove the removal. Watch for whether other GOP leaders publicly weigh in on both the AI image controversy and Trump's papal tensions, as Tillis's willingness to defer on one issue while critiquing another suggests potential fractures within Republican unity on Trump's recent actions.