This Sunday, Easter Sunday in the Orthodox tradition, the president of the United States attacked Pope Leo for being “woke” and “weak” and also pictured himself (again) as Jesus Christ raising people from the dead. Lucca Signorelli, in his giant fresco that has hung in the Orvieto Cathedral for over 500 years, also paints the antichrist as raising—or claiming to raise—people from the dead.
The response to Trump’s “blasphemy” (a word used by numerous pundits about Trump’s latest antics) has been raucous even among his most outspoken MAGA followers and ex-followers. One article read: “Prominent conservatives slammed the president’s decision to compare himself to Jesus shortly after taking potshots at the pope.” *
Former MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted: “I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!… It’s more than blasphemy. It’s an Antichrist Spirit.”
I haven’t heard much concern from Republicans in Congress, however. Have you? They hold the power to do something about madman kings: Invoke the 25th Amendment.
Others have noted that in the AI-generated painting of Trump as Jesus raising the dead (notice everyone in the picture is white; I guess this Jesus only resurrects white people), the dead man seems to resemble none other than, very closely…Jeffrey Epstein!
How’s that for an Easter greeting? (Is this a subtle response to Melania’s Epstein talk of last week that caught even her husband by surprise?)
Not only is Trump deranged, but he is also taking the entire Republican party with him down a rabbit hole of evil so pronounced it could be funny…except for consequences like destroying a civilization and destroying our planet.
To his credit, Pope Leo responded to Trump’s attack with a satiric dig about how “ironic” the name of Trump’s “Truth Social” account is. Clearly, it is neither truthful nor serving society: that is, the common good. He also took the occasion to say he is “unafraid” of Trump & Co.
The pope also used the occasion to remind people that—unlike the ever-sure-of-himself, Christian-nationalist-fanatic running the Department of Defense and holding prayer meetings praying for victory “in Jesus’ name”—Jesus taught peace and not war, and the Gospel is about liberation for the poor.
Speaking of Christian nationalism, Trump’s post of himself as Jesus Christ is surrounded by American imagery: the US flag, bald eagles, the Statue of Liberty (presumably minus the welcoming message to the poor and those yearning to be free), and other monuments. Nothing idolatrous there, right?
Some called Trump’s deranged Easter greeting a “bonkers Pope attack” and others a “deranged post.” On the same day, 60 Minutes ran an exchange with three American cardinals who had their wits and intelligence about them. Trump declared that he was responsible for the pope’s election—“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican” and scolded the pope: “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
I wonder how all this will sit with the 55% of Catholics who voted Trump into the White House.
Poor Donald. In one week his second favorite fascist leader in Europe (after Putin) was voted out in Hungary (in spite of Trump’s interfering with the election by sending vice president Vance there to campaign for him); his wife gave a speech in the White House flanked by flags, etc., about knowing Epstein and Maxwell hardly at all (photos to the contrary); he delivered the Hormuz Strait to Iran; his peace talks crashed; and he picked a fight with the Pope while committing an idolatrous act so perverse that even MAGA backers are calling him the antichrist.
25th Amendment, anyone?
*Catherine Bouris and Ewan Palmer, “Even MAGA Recoils at Trump Cosplaying as Christ in Deranged Post,” The Daily Beast, April 13, 2026
Banner Image: Tick-tock: time is ripe for the 25th Amendment. Photo by Lesley~B on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
What are your reactions to Trump attacking the pope and depicting himself as Jesus Christ raising an Epstein look-alike from the dead? Time for the 25th Amendment? And a straitjacket, maybe?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Trump and the MAGA Movement as Antichrist
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society
Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings in Creation Spirituality
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
11 thoughts on “Trump Plays the Antichrist Role—Time for the 25th Amendment?”
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the poetic irony of a New York City mob boss sending his goon squad to threaten …. a guy from the south side of Chicago ??
Thanks Matthew for your teaching. I looked at the post with Hildegard’s illumination in mind. She was a prophet indeed!
Pope Leo holds the Light of Love Truth and Justice in the name of Jesus. This confrontation isn’t over.
US will follow Hungary. The tide is turning.
AI is having a field day posting images of Trump and Jesus.
Blasphemy in the raw!
I’m literally waiting for lightning to strike in whatever manner that may be to stop the evil Slaughtering of the innocents.
Calling all Angels! May the Holy Spirit come.
“American decline” has been a recurring theme in books, essays and movies for many years. I do venture to guess that “decline” is no longer the suitable word when getting lower seems impossible. Let’s hope for a way up, but the slope will be very steep.
I’ve been a big fan of all your books and meditations for many years. I conduct a Bible study at a local nursing home and last week we discussed the two lions in Revelation (and related Scripture) which represent a stark contrast between good and evil: the Lion(Leo in Latin) of the Tribe of Judah (Jesus Christ) and the roaring lion (Satan/the devil). According to Revelation 13:2, the Beast rising from the sea, (empowered by the Dragon (Satan)), is described as having the mouth of a lion, symbolizing a fierce, deceptive, and destructive force.
We discussed the interpretation of this and concluded that Pope Leo represents The Lion of Judah which is a victorious, protective king (Rev 5:5), while the beast, representing a malicious power, and has a mouth like a lion is the president. Having read your last several meditations, I thought I would share this insight with you. Thanks again for such inspiring meditations. The residents and I are reading them each week at our class.
Trump has been diagnosed with a severe case of malignant narcissism by professional psychologists. We were warned about his mental illness by 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts shortly after his first election in the book, “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” ed. by Bandy Lee, M.D., M.Div. (The New York Times Bestseller).
Matthew Fox also warned us about Trump and his followers in 2024 before the last election in his short but still relevant prophetic book, “Trump and the MAGA Movement as Antichrist.”
The good news is that Trump is actually waking the world up to how tenuous our existence on this planet has become. Mother Earth cannot survive our assault as long as she is being stripped and tortured with weapons of mass destruction. It is also good news that Putin must be feeling literally bedeviled by the burgeoning global citizen blowback against fascism making front page news. Putin was successful at dispatching Navalny, Magnitsky and others but Navalny remains an inspiration for many. Jesus knew he would die for challenging the ‘oligarchs’ of the Temple just as Navalny knew he risked his life to go back to Russia. Putin and Trump will ultimately go down in infamy while Navalny will continue to inspire deep soul patriots until ‘kingdom come.’ Who would have predicted that Zelenskyy would be the ‘chosen one’ to keep his is finger in the dyke of global chaos until the citizens of the world committed themselves to peace and renewing the face of the earth.
I want to thank all those who have written Comments to this DM and today’s (Wednesday’s) as well. There is lots of wisdom in the group who respond and interact to these DM’s and I appreciate hearing from you and learning from you. As they say, “it takes a village….” to instruct and uphold one another. The intellectual life and the spiritual life is a village, i.e. a community, undertaking. And sometimes I feel we are are indeed building community on these pages together.
Gratitude to you all and to GG and to the team that presents the DM,
Matthew.
Whew! Whatta Welcome response to the murderous madness of the MAGGA malady that swept our whole “civilization” into it’s maddening whirl . . . only to be threatened with . . . the declaration that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” . . .
WAR criminal “visions of grandeur” . . . maniacal madness no longer “hidden in plain sight” but blatantly obvious to our whole co-existent reality!
We have had more than enough time and examples that it is clear he has to go. Please someone stop him! Adding his mane to buildings and destroying the peoples house is unforgiveable.
You raise the 25th Amendment as a solution.
I understand the instinct.
But it doesn’t go far enough.
Removing one figure does not address how power adapts.
A vice president steps in—and that shifts the concern to J. D. Vance.
He is not just an alternative.
He is a real danger.
Not because he is louder, but because he is more controlled.
This is not about disruption, but persuasion.
When institutions are steadily questioned, it doesn’t feel like a crisis. It feels like a reasonable argument—and that is exactly what makes it harder to resist.
The 25th Amendment may remove a person.
It does not stop the pattern.
Matthew, Your evolving insight into the dangerous, insidious behavior of Donald Trump culminated in poignant awareness of the relevance of Luca Signorelli’s painting, The Preaching of the Antichrist, at Orvieto! This inspired your timely book, before the election in 2024, which clearly spelled out the dangers of electing him as President of our country. Due to the veil of lies spread by some media outlets and the ignorance that ensued, many potential voters were unable to conceive of this possibility of the anti-Christ. They did not hear (read) your prophetic voice. Now the reality of this truth is startling and frightening them. I pray that this horrific situation wake them to action to try to stop this travesty. Bless you for all your faithful Daily Meditations which help enlighten and inspire those of us who read them.