Riley Gaines was one of Trump’s most loyal public supporters, a frequent White House guest and a MAGA fixture on the conservative circuit. On Monday, Trump said he was not a big fan of her, all because she suggested on X that a little humility might serve him well.
The trigger was an AI image Trump posted Sunday night depicting himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick man, complete with a biblical robe, glowing orb, bald eagles and the Statue of Liberty in the background.
Gaines, a devout Christian, found it worth addressing on X. “Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?” she wrote. She then delivered her verdict: “Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”
The post was deleted roughly 13 hours after it went up.
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When CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell asked Trump whether Gaines’ criticism had anything to do with that decision, the president answered in the most Trump way possible. “I didn’t listen to Riley Gaines. I’m not a big fan of Riley, actually.” He then explained what he believed the image actually showed. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better,” he told reporters. “Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
Gaines absorbed the public dismissal with more grace than it deserved.
“I love the President and I’m so grateful he’s in the Oval Office,” she wrote on X. “The truth social post missed the mark. It’s now deleted. Amazing! We’re imperfect people. I know I am. I don’t get my feelings hurt easy and I know with the President it’s really not personal.” She added that she wants to “spend eternity in a real place called Heaven” and would love for Trump to be there too.
Gaines was not the only one who objected.
Marjorie Taylor Greene called the image “more than blasphemy,” while conservative Gen Z commentator Brilyn Hollyhand called it “gross blasphemy,” saying: “Comparing yourself, even jokingly, to Jesus, it undermines the very value that many of us hold dear.”
Conservative podcaster Erick Erickson wrote that the media was focused on podcasters breaking with Trump over Iran, but argued they “really should be paying attention to the Christian Trump supporters who have stood with him through Iran, who are waking up to his blasphemy.”
Not everyone agreed. Laura Loomer dismissed it entirely, writing that “people crashing out over a meme need to chill out.” The MAGA coalition, it turns out, has strong opinions about Jesus and they do not all point in the same direction.
The irony is considerable. Trump called Gaines “a tremendous athlete” and “a brave swimmer” at a White House signing just fourteen months ago, with her standing beside him.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
