Faced with growing backlash, US President Donald Trump appears to have removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure.

The AI-generated image, which showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed, sparked fierce backlash from both sides of the US political spectrum, including from some of Trump's most ardent supporters.

The post came just hours after Trump posted a lengthy message criticising Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran.

Trump acknowledged posting the picture, telling reporters he thought it was "me as a doctor".

The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.

The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.

Speaking to reporters several hours after it was removed, Trump said he believed the image depicted him as a doctor next to a Red Cross worker.

"It's supposed to be as a doctor making people better," he said. "And I do make people better. I make people a lot better."

Criticism of the image came swiftly, including from figures considered close to Trump and the administration.

"This should be deleted immediately," wrote Sean Feucht, a Christian activist who is working on a series of faith-based events to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence this year.

"There's no context where this is acceptable," he added.

Riley Gaines, a prominent conservative activist, wrote that "God shall not be mocked".

Much of the criticism also came from faith-based US news outlets.

"This goes too far. It crosses the line," wrote David Brody, a journalist with the Christian Broadcasting Network. "A supporter can back the mission and reject this."

The controversial image was posted less than an hour after a separate post from the US president in which he criticised the pope, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy".

Pope Leo - the first American Pope - has repeatedly condemned the war in Iran, saying it has led to "absurd and inhuman violence".

The pope said on Monday that he has "no fear" of the Trump administration or "speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do".

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump did not apologise.

"Pope Leo said things that are wrong," he said. "He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result."

The AI-generated image is far from the first time Trump's Truth Social has led to criticism.

In February, a racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes was posted to his account and later removed.

The White House initially defended the clip as an "internet meme video" and told critics to "stop the fake outrage".

But after fierce criticism, including from several Republican senators, the post was removed, and a White House official said that a staffer had "erroneously" made the post.