Trump post appearing to depict him as Jesus removed amid backlash

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-religious-conservatives/

President Donald Trump’s posting of an image that appeared to depict him as Jesus drew rare criticism from the religious right, prompting allegations of blasphemy and calls for him to take down the post before it was deleted.

“I don’t know if the President thought he was being funny or if he is under the influence of some substance or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” wrote Megan Basham, a prominent conservative Protestant Christian writer and commentator. “But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”

One administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to criticize the president’s post, predicted that conservative Christian outrage would dissipate in a matter of days as it often has. But the official said it was going too far for Trump to post such an image of himself, even though some of his most loyal MAGA supporters have cast him in quasi-messianic terms.

Trump takes down Truth Social post of AI image portraying him as Jesus

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5828915-trump-ai-jesus-image-removed/mlite/ 

The AI image posted by President Trump on his Truth Social platform depicting himself as Jesus Christ appears to have been removed from his account.

The link where the image previously was posted on Sunday, which was Orthodox Easter, now reads “This resource could not be found” on Monday afternoon.

The image, which showed Trump portrayed as Jesus Christ healing sick people, sparked backlash from some of his own conservative supporters.

In the hours before the post was taken down Monday morning, a number of some of Trump’s most vocal allies from the conservative Christian community called on him to remove the post. 

Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles weighed in saying, “I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote on X that she was “praying against” the post.

“On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus,” she wrote. “This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!”

Most Jews do not have Hashgocha Protis

 Sforno (Vayikra 13:47) Most Jews except for a few exalted people are without a doubt are ruled by Nature and are influenced by the heavenly bodies like other animals who do not receive personal Divine intervention but only as a species. They receive attention only as being part of the Jewish people. 

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 18:19) The personalized supervision of mankind, operates in the following manner. 1) There is supervision in the sense that G’d is aware of all of man’s actions and thoughts; this extends both to Jews and to Gentiles alike. We know this from Psalms 33,15, “He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their doings.” The supervision becomes manifest in G’d protecting people against mishaps. This type of benevolent supervision does not extend to Gentiles and not even to all Israelites except the righteous among them. G’d saves the righteous from experiencing the kinds of disasters which non-deserving people are prone to experience. 

Trump’s FOX Interview on Iran Was a Total Mess

Trump posts image depicting himself as Jesus performing a miracle after bashing Pope Leo XIV

 https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/news/trumppope-clash-after-criticism-president-posts-ai-miracle-image/articleshow/130224745.cms

Trump Pope Leo: US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV. The Pope had spoken out against US actions in Iran. Trump responded via social media, questioning the Pope's stance. Following this, Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself in a divine role. The Pope had previously called for an end to conflict and warned against aggressive rhetoric.

After talks fail, IDF planning for return to war, Trump mulls strikes on Iran

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-talks-fail-idf-planning-for-return-to-war-trump-mulls-strikes-on-iran-reports/

All three major Hebrew TV networks reported that the IDF is gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran as the ceasefire talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic collapsed, in what appeared to be a coordinated leak by defense officials on Sunday.

The reported preparations come less than a week after a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan went into effect, and less than a day after negotiations in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to produce a deal to permanently end the war in the Middle East.

In a clear sign that diplomatic efforts were at a dead end, the American military said on Sunday it will begin to enforce a naval blockade on Iran starting on Monday, following orders by US President Donald Trump.

G-d pays attention to Israel

 Shir HaShirim Rabbah (07:08) Just as the farmer pays no attention to the baskets of dung or of straw or of stubble or of chaff,because they are not worth anything, so \G-d pays no attention to the other nations,because they are not worth anything, as it says,  All the nations are as nothing before Him. To whom,then, does He pay attention? To Israel, as it says, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, etc., and again, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel. 

Did Trump Buy Ed McMahon’s Home To Save Him From Foreclosure -Compulsive Liar

 https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-trump-buy-ed-mcmahon-home-foreclosure-11816985

President Donald Trump has shared a viral social media post claiming that he purchased Ed McMahon’s home in 2008, saving the television personality and comedian from losing it to foreclosure, and allowing him to live their rent-free for the remainder of his life.

The story shared by Trump is untrue, with no evidence that Trump bought McMahon’s property or leased it back to him free of charge. Contemporaneous reporting, as well as statements from McMahon’s representatives and family, contradict the claim.

Trump did publicly express an intention to help Ed McMahon during his foreclosure issues, but didn't buy the home or provide free lifetime housing as claimed in the post shared on Sunday. Additionally, the assertion that the media ignored Trump’s efforts is untrue, as his publicized offers were widely reported on at the time by outlets including CNBC and Reuters.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban, ally of Trump and Putin, concedes election defeat

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/04/12/hungary-election-viktor-orban-trump/

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat Sunday in a major election loss that will reverberate in Washington and Moscow and bring an end to the 16-year rule of a self-proclaimed champion of illiberal Christian democracy who is a darling of MAGA-aligned American conservatives, an ally of the Kremlin and a proud antagonist of European Union leaders in Brussels.

Orban, 62, who has governed Hungary with increasing authoritarianism since 2010, and his Fidesz party were ousted by Peter Magyar, 45, a center-right, socially conservative member of the European Parliament, and his Tisza Party — in what was arguably the country’s most consequential vote since the end of the communist era. Vice President JD Vance visited Hungary last week to campaign for Orban.

The U.S. Sank One of Iran’s Navies. The Other Still Controls Hormuz.

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/the-u-s-sank-one-of-irans-navies-the-other-still-controls-hormuz-98ea16ff?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_3

The U.S. has destroyed most of Iran’s navy. But not the one Tehran uses to control the Strait of Hormuz.

The regular navy operated Iran’s big battleships largely for prestige and occasional long-range deployments. The paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on the other hand, has its own extensive fleet of more nimble boats designed to control the crucial waterway with missiles, mines and harassment of commercial ships—and they are much harder to reach.

Trump declares US Navy will begin blockading Strait of Hormuz ‘effective immediately’

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-12-2026/

More than 60% of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ naval fleet tasked with patrolling the Strait of Hormuz is still intact after six weeks of war with the US and Israel, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The report comes as US President Donald Trump has declared that the US Navy will impose a blockade on the strait following failed ceasefire talks in Pakistan yesterday.

But the largely intact fleet of small boats and attack craft should allow the IRGC to continue to control the Strait of Hormuz with ease, including by laying mines down throughout the narrow waterway, the Journal says, with the heavy damage inflicted to Iran’s traditional navy making “relatively little difference” in this area.

Trump says US will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran talks end without a deal

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/12/world/live-news/iran-us-war-talks-trump

The US president predicted Iran will return to negotiations and renewed his threats against the country after peace talks ended in a stalemate.

• Blockade in the strait: President Donald Trump said the US Navy will start blocking passage through the Strait of Hormuz, risking an even greater spike to oil and gas prices as he seeks to maximize leverage over Iran. The US and other countries will sweep for mines in the vital waterway during the blockade, Trump said.

Trump’s ‘new, reasonable’ Iran is neither new nor reasonable, and he knows it

https://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-new-reasonable-iran-is-neither-new-nor-reasonable-and-he-knows-it/

 There is a blatant contradiction between US President Donald Trump’s repeated insistence, on the one hand, that the war against Iran has achieved “regime change” and he is now negotiating with new, “much more reasonable leaders,” and his simultaneous acknowledgement, on the other, that any Iranian who dares to take to the streets faces an immediate death sentence.

The same goes for his simultaneous contention, also expounded at Monday’s press conference, that the purportedly new regime is “not as radicalized” as its predecessor, but that, nonetheless, “Israel will be gone, the Middle East will be gone,” if Iran gets the bomb.

“We won, okay,” the US president claimed on Monday night. But for all his contradictions, as Trump knows full well, the Iranian regime against which he went to war remains in power, and its nuclear ambitions are anything but dimmed.

Vance says no agreement with Iran after marathon talks in Pakistan

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/12/world/live-news/iran-us-war-talks-trump

• No agreement: US Vice President JD Vance says no agreement was reached with Iran after marathon talks in Pakistan. Iran would not commit to forgoing a nuclear weapon, Vance said, adding that US negotiators gave their “final and best offer,” but Tehran refused to accept the US’ terms for a deal.

• No plans for further talks: Tehran currently has no plans for another round of negotiations, state media reported. In Iran, the failure of the talks is being blamed on “excessive” demands of the United States.

• Questions remain: The failure to yield a deal throws the ceasefire into doubt, and without Iran’s commitment to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, global energy supplies will continue to be throttled. Before the ceasefire, President Donald Trump had promised Iran’s “whole civilization will die.” Then, he said it “makes no difference to me” whether both sides make a deal.