White House Official Reveals Strategy Behind Trump's Bizarre Posts, Says 'He Came Up With the Idea Himself'

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday described President Donald Trump's provocative social media posts as a calculated communications approach, telling reporters it was 'all part of his personal strategy.'

'The president creates a montage and a mosaic,' Bessent told Nexstar's Washington bureau during a White House press briefing on 15 April. 'President Trump's one of the great communicators of my lifetime, maybe the greatest since Ronald Reagan. And he's won [the] election twice, so seems to work,' The Hill reported.

The comments came as the White House tried to steer attention toward Tax Day messaging, with Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler joining Bessent at the briefing. Trump's own posts buried the effort.

The day before, Trump had shared a post on Truth Social from the account @Dkelly4congress, known as 'Irish for Trump.' It featured an AI-generated image of Jesus placing his hand on the president's shoulder, with text reading: 'I was never a very religious man .. but doesn't it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed ... that God might be playing his Trump card!'

Trump added: 'The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!'

AI 'Jesus' Post Sparks Conservative Revolt on Orthodox Easter

It was the second such image in three days. On 12 April, Orthodox Easter, Trump posted an AI-generated picture appearing to portray him in a white robe and red sash with a glowing orb in one hand and the other resting on a sick man's forehead. That image was a slightly altered version of one previously shared by right-wing influencer Nick Adams.

The backlash came from within his own base. Conservative activist Riley Gaines wrote on X that 'a little humility would serve him well' and 'God shall not be mocked.' Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer called it 'inappropriate and embarrassing.' Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Trump of posting 'this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.'

Trump deleted the first image the following morning at the urging of House Speaker Mike Johnson, CNN wrote. At an unscheduled press conference on 13 April, he told reporters he thought it showed him as a doctor.

'I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor,' Trump said. 'It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better, and I do make people better.' He declined to apologise.

GOP Donors and Strategists Warn of Midterm Fallout

White House spokesperson Kush Desai pushed back at suggestions Trump was undermining his own agenda. Trump 'can walk and chew gum at the same time,' Desai told The Hill, pointing to recent executive orders on housing affordability and new prescription drug discounts on TrumpRx.gov.

A Quinnipiac University poll released the same day found 57 per cent of voters disapproved of Trump's handling of the economy, with only 38 per cent approving. Republican donor Dan Eberhart told The Hill the party needs 'Trump's head in the game' heading into the midterms.

The AI images sit within a broader pattern. Over the past fortnight, Trump threatened on Truth Social that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' in reference to Iran, attacked Pope Leo XIV as 'WEAK on Crime,' and posted a profanity-laced demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Aboard the papal plane on 13 April, Pope Leo told the Associated Press he had 'no fear of the Trump administration.' Asked about the president's remarks on Truth Social, Leo replied: 'It's ironic - the name of the site itself. Say no more.'

Trump said he owed no apology. 'Pope Leo said things that are wrong,' he told reporters. 'We believe strongly in law and order, and he seemed to have a problem with that.'

Eberhart predicted the papal row would fade but cautioned the war in Iran posed a bigger political headache as November approaches. Trump has shown no signs of pulling back.