Jonathan Manafo

I had received some questions about President @realDonaldTrump's recent posts, and here are my thoughts: I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate. I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that this was not at all what he thought the AI-generated image was representing—he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post. When I looked at the illustration, I didn’t jump to the same conclusion as some. There were no spiritual references—no halo, there were no crosses, no angels. It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles, the Statue of Liberty, and I think this is a lot to do about nothing. There is so much ill-intended speculation. I think his enemies are always foaming at the mouth at any possible opportunity to make him look bad. And the illustration from someone else he reposted on Truth Social yesterday, I must say that I like the fact that this is a picture of Jesus whispering in his ear, or at least His hand on his shoulder, guiding him. We all need that—we all need to be listening to Jesus. Again, I think there is an attempt to spin this into something that it isn’t. Remember, President Trump didn’t draw this, he didn’t create it, he reposted it on his social media because he thought it was nice—I would have to agree. I’m not a Catholic, I’m an evangelical, but I appreciate how President Trump has defended religious freedom for people of all faiths, including millions of evangelicals and Catholics in the U.S. and around the world. He is the most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime, and he doesn’t shy away from it. I would hope that the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point, and that the Pope would have the opportunity to thank the President for his efforts to protect religious liberty for Catholics and people of all faiths.

TODAY we Celebrate our one-year anniversary of the first-ever @WhiteHouse Faith Office! Last Feb 7th, President Trump signed an Executive Order creating the historic White House Faith Office and we couldn’t be more grateful! @POTUS famously says with joy, “We are bringing religion back to America!” When faith is weak, our country is weak; but when faith is strong, America is strong. The critical mission of the White House Faith Office is to provide a voice of advocacy for our faith community by using the power of government to shape policy, impact culture, and protect faith. The good news is faith is rising in America! People are increasingly going back to worship services, Bible sales are up, youth are turning to faith in record numbers, and the federal government is on your side again. In just ONE YEAR, we have reached 100,000 faith leaders in person through meetings, policy briefings, and Presidential events at the White House. We also went across the country and the world meeting with faith leaders in their own houses of worship. Through media platforms and your networks, we have reached more than 40 million lives! The message is clear: The faith community feels free to practice their religion under the Trump Administration and the policies we implemented directly impact our faith and walk with God. @Paula_White @AlvedaCKing @RamiroPena20 @DKUBAL @apostlegm @PastorBKnight @RachelJknight @JohnnieM @CobarisL @JacksonLahmeyer @BishopTimHill @TheJonathanCain @Leon4Congress @NicoleCrank @davidcrank @AlbertoMDelgado @mariamjdelgado @Franklin_Graham @Jentezen @BasedPastorTrav @malachiobrien @RapidResponse47 @Kaelan @Kaelan47 @PressSec @karolineleavitt @sonnyjoynelson @TaylorRogers47 @RapidResponse47 @SaraCarterDC @JackPosobiec @NEWSMAX @CarlHigbie @realtalkstruth @Bruce_LeVell @HarmeetKDhillon @LeoTerrellDOJ @PeteHegseth @SecRubio @Sec_Noem @SecScottBessent @SecKennedy @CforCatholics @CatholicVote @kevincorke @DavidJHarrisJr @davidwebbshow