There was massive criticism of the self-portrait on social media. Critics accused the president of blasphemy and pronounced narcissism. Trump faced headwinds not only from political opponents like Democrat Bernie Sanders, but also from religious circles.
The US President tried to play down the criticism. “I posted it and I thought it showed me as a doctor,” he told reporters at the White House. He assumed that he had been portrayed as a “Red Cross employee”. Trump did not address the clear, dramatic staging of the image, which artists often use in religious contexts.
