Recently President Donald Trump has faced backlash for a photo posted on his Instagram. Usually this wouldn’t be an issue but in this case it is. People are reportedly saying he depicted himself as a Jesus-like character. Trump has dismissed these claims saying it was “me as a doctor.”
Yet this is not the first time Trump has gotten backlash on a photo posted to social media. In 2025 he posted himself directly wearing the traditional vestments of the pope. In an interview a reporter asked Trump who he would like to see become the next supreme pontiff, he responded by saying “I’d like to be pope.” He got backlash from the photo due to the fact he posted it just days after former Pope Francis passed away.
As the President of the United States, Trump should take more time in deciding what and what not to post on his social media accounts. Some things posted on his Instagram are insensitive and offensive to various groups of people. As the man running this country, Trump should try getting as many people to like him as possible. Posting offensive photos and videos on your Instagram doesn’t help the case. It’s almost comical to know that the man running the country I live in uses artificial intelligence on photos to make him look even more silly.
Having a good digital footprint is a nice thing to have for someone like President Trump. A digital footprint is almost like a big file storing and remembering everything you’ve done on the internet. It’s a record left behind from all of your online actions. It consists of things such as things you post online, things you’ve liked online, emails,browsing history, and even things like web forms. Most people like to keep a good digital footprint for things like job opportunities and to keep a good reputation. Having a bad digital footprint can have a negative effect on you. Posting offensive photos or videos on social media is an example of a bad digital footprint, doing this can have people think of you in a negative way.
Both Trump’s doctor photo and his pope photo were both posted on the official White House Instagram page and Trump’s personal account. Both accounts were fully aware of what they were posting and had no intention to take it down until they caught backlash from people like religious leaders, conservative allies, and even lawmakers.
Even these important figures knew what was posted was wrong and offensive. “God shall not be mocked,” activist Riley Gaines wrote after the doctor photo was posted. It’s also worth knowing that President Trump did not apologize for either of the photos mentioned.
Trump is no stranger to catching fire from his social media posts. Some various examples being, on February 5 when Trump posted an artificially made image of former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle depicted as apes, posting a long message about Pope Leo XIV calling him “weak on crime” and “weak on nuclear weapons.” Another example of when he used AI to create an image was when he posed during the No Kings march of him wearing a crown in a fighter jet named “king Trump,” dropping excrement on protesters.
A simple solution is to simply think before you post something the whole internet can see. Having a bad digital footprint can be bad for anyone’s self image. Another solution to the issue is having Trump hire a more reliable person to run his social media so he doesn’t have to fight backlash anymore for his posts. One more solution is getting a second opinion on ideas to post. Asking someone you trust if it’s a good idea to post something you’re unsure about then that can help you get another opinion on it.
Trump has made mistakes posting on social media before. But it gets to a point, It’s almost like he knows what he’s posting is wrong, yet he still posts it again and again. Something needs to change, if it’s someone running his socials or just thinking before posting. Even at my young age I know that it’s best to think about what you’re about to show all of the interent, rather than posting it without thought. It’s almost embarrassing to know that he addressed the situation while picking up food.
