Donald Trump’s most unhinged 48 hours as president in 11 weird moments

From attacking the Pope to posing as the son of God, with a McDonalds order thrown in for good measure, this week has already shattered every record for unhinged behaviour and it’s only Tuesday

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When I wrote on Saturday that last week was Donald Trump’s weirdest yet, I didn’t expect him to ask me to hold his beer so quickly.

It’s only Tuesday and this week has already shattered every previous record for unhinged behaviour. Hilarious though it might be in the abstract that the most powerful man on the planet picked a fight with God’s representative on earth, which peaked with an AI slop representation of Trump as Jesus Christ, it’s renewed discussions about his apparent psychological instability. Trump has several items on his agenda today, but none of them are open to the press – which is probaby for the best, as this is going to be a long one as it is. Here’s a roundup of all the most unhinged things Donald Trump has done in what might be the most unhinged 48 hours on planet Earth since the resurrection.

48 hours in Trumpworld

• He picked a fight with God’s representative on Earth
• He posted an AI slop picture of him as Christ
• He denied it three times, in the most baffling way
• The Pope hit back
• Italy picked a side
• JD Vance had a view
• He got a totally not staged Maccies delivery
• He was confused about Cuba
• And he had another pop at the UK on a familiar subject

Here’s what you need to know

1. Here’s how Trump ended up picking a fight with God’s representative on earth

Let’s start at the beginning, which actually has its roots in the middle of last week – with reports that the Vatican’s top diplomat had been chewed out by Pentagon officials some comments Pope Leo XIV had made that had been seen as criticism of the Trump administration. While the Vatican confirmed Cardinal Christophe Pierre had met with Eldridge Colby, US undersecretary of war for policy, they insisted it was “part of the Papal Representative’s regular mission and provided the opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest.” Nevertheless, the story found legs, and many were given the impression that there was a row brewing between the US and the Holy See. On Saturday, Pope Leo made some comments at the Vatican’s evening prayers, saying the Iran War had been fuelled by a “delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.” In a message to world leaders, he said: “To them we cry out: stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation – not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided.” “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” he added.

Then there were reports that Pope Leo had summoned Obama strategist David Axelrod for a meeting at the Vatican – and this apparently was the final straw for Trump.

2. Trump attacked the pope in the most bizarre way possible

Late Sunday night, Trump posted a lengthy screed on Truth Social, having a pop at the Pope. And he opened with a particularly odd attack.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the US President wrote, inexplicably. Perhaps because of their historical difficulties with capital punishment – crucifixion and the like – Pontiffs are not widely known for their ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric. Trump went on: “He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church and all other Christian Organisations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside and being ten and even twenty feet apart.”

This too was baffling. I’m willing to be corrected and it was a weird time, but I don’t recall the Swiss Guard descending on churches across the world, arresting priests for breaking Covid rules. Trump went on to suggest he was more of a fan of Pope Leo’s brother, Louis Prevost – a Floridian “MAGA kind of guy”, whose online posts have included a rant where he branded former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “drunk c***”. Trump went on: “He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”

The US President suggested Leo should be thankful because he was only elected Pope because of him – arguing they picked an American because they needed someone who could handle Trump. While his election was a surprise to many, it was the result of a relatively quick Conclave by Vatican standards. As anyone who has seen the Ralph Fiennes movie will know, deliberations in the Sistine Chapel are secret. But it was more seen as a move to continue the vibes of Pope Francis than as an attempt at geopolitics. Anyway, Trump’s post continued: “Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. 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. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”

3. There are only three ways to one-up the Pope. Trump picked one.

The Pope is, the Catholics believe, God’s chosen representative on Earth. The dogma suggests just three entities exist who “outrank” the Bishop of Rome – The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. Yes, I know they’re all one God, but there is NO TIME to get into that. Anyway, Trump picked one, posting one of the most spectacular pieces of AI slop ever to grace the internet. The picture has been dissected to death at this point – but here’s the most important elements. Of course, you have Trump depicted as Jesus Christ in the centre, complete with glowing orbs in his hands, just like the action figure.

To Trump Christ’s right is a man who looks curiously like late film director Rob Reiner, who Trump famously attacked after his murder. To his left, an army soldier and a nurse who looks a bit like Amy Adams in Catch Me If You Can. The man in the foreground whom Trump Christ is healing looks either like problematic Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters or Daily Show host John Stewart, depending on how much you squint. In the background are two American Bald Eagles, the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial and a building that looks not entirely dissimilar to the Kremlin. In the sky are an American flag, three weirdly deformed AI jets, some daytime fireworks and a group of shadowy figures who look like they could be more soldiers, but they’re being led by a bizarre four-armed figure with spikes coming out of his head. Two of the figure’s arms are giving peace signs, Nixon-style. The image was later deleted after it sparked the world’s most predictable backlash. Brace yourself, because it somehow gets weirder.

4. The Pope says he’s not afraid of Trump

Speaking to reporters on the papal plane during a tour of Africa, the pope addressed Trump’s attack. He said he doesn’t “see my role as that of a politician. I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter into a debate with him.” He continued: “I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused as some are doing. I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue, and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent lives have been lost, and I believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way.” He went on: “I say this to all world leaders, not only him [President Trump]: let us end wars and promote peace and reconciliation.”

And in answer to a question from an American journalist, he said: “I have 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, what the Church is here to do.” At this point, you might have been forgiven for googling things like “does the Vatican have a mutual defence pact with Italy” and “is reality being written by the scriptwriters from WWE?”

5. Trump tells the least plausible lie he’s ever told

On Monday afternoon, reporters were gathered at the doors of the Oval Office, to see a stunt where a Doordash driver deliver a Maccies order to the President. Don’t worry, we’ll come back to this. But there followed an impromptu Q&A, where Trump told the biggest lie of his life. Asked if he posted the picture of himself depicted as Christ, Trump said: “It wasn’t depicted…I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross. There’s a Red Cross worker there, which we support.”

Let’s stop there for a moment. First of all, there is not a single emblem of the Red Cross, or anything that looks like it, in the image. Second of all, I don’t know whether things have changed at Walter Reed Military Hospital, where the President is treated, but last I checked the doctors there didn’t wear flowing red and white robes or treat people with magic glowing orbs. Trump went on, increasingly implausibly: “Only the fake news could come up with that one. I just heard about it, and I said, how did they come up with that?” “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor,” he added, denying Jesus for the third time, at which point presumably a cock crew. “Making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” He turned to the Doordash lady, telling everyone her husband was dying of cancer, and that he was helping with that, because of his “no tax on tips” policy. Asked if he’d apologise to Pope Leo, he said: “No, I don’t because Pope Leo said things that are wrong.”

6. JD Vance, a Catholic, weighed in

JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said he thought Trump’s AI Christ image was “a joke.” “I think the president was posting a joke. And of course he took it down because he recognised that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humour in that case. I think the President of the United States likes to mix it up on social media, and I think that’s one of the good things about this President, is that he’s not filtered, he doesn’t send everything through a communications professional, he actually reaches out directly to the people.” On the “disagreement with the Vatican”, he suggested the Pope should butt out of politics.

“The Pope has been critical of our immigration policy,” he said. “But ultimately the immigration policy of the United States is set by Donald Trump. The Pope is going to have disagreements on other issues, we can respect the Pope, we certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican, but we’re also going to disagree on substantive issue from time to time.” He added: “I certainly think that in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic Church, and let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”

7. Italian PM Georgia Meloni backed the Pope – so Trump warned Italy could be nuked

Georgia Meloni, the PM of Italy who has often been seen as a Trump ally, picked a side – unsurprisingly rowing in behind the Pope and calling Trump’s behaviour “unacceptable.” Trump lashed out, saying he was “shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.” He added: “It’s her who’s unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.”

8. So what happened with the Doordash thing?

So now we’ve dealt with Trump declaring war on the Holy See, let’s return to that weird photo op. As I noted above, reporters were gathered at the outside door of the Oval, where a lady in a red tee with “Doordash grandma” on the front, arrived carrying two bags of McDonalds. Trump came out and took the bags – although he didn’t have to give her a code or anything – and they did a little skit about Trump’s “no tax on tips” policy.

It’s worth noting at this point that a third of workers who declare tips as income in the US don’t earn enough to qualify to pay income taxes – and many more would see only a marginal benefit from the policy. But Sharon Simmons, a granny of 10 from Arkansas, says she “probably” saved between $3-4000 in taxes from the policy, saying tips made up roughly half of her income.

Trump handed her a wad of cash as a tip, with reporters spotting at least one $100 bill in the pile. The president eventually asked Simmons: “I think you voted for me. Do you think?” To which she responded, “Um, maybe.” Undaunted, Trump continued: “I heard you’re a great supporter. We appreciate it.” When a reporter later asked if the White House was a good tipper, Simmons hesitated: “Um … potentially.”

“Wait,” Trump crowed, reaching into his pocket for a $100 bill and handing it to Simmons with a grin. She took the money, laughed and finished, “Yes, very,” as the president patted her on the back and beamed. Trump also turned to Simmons to press her on if she believes “men should play in women’s sports” – a frequent topic of his.

“I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons replied, prompting Trump to push, “I’ll bet you do.” “No, no,” she insisted. “I’m here about no tax on tips.”

9. He also told another lie…

Trump was also goaded by a right-wing “reporter” into his usual rant about the 2020 election being “rigged”, which it wasn’t. “In so many different ways, the election was rigged. The 2020 election was rigged. We found that out…They cheated on the election. They cheated on the vote. They cheated in every way possible. And it’s the only way we got an incompetent man to be a president.” He added: “The election was a rigged election. We can’t let that happen to our country…They cheat. They can’t get elected with their policy.” None of this is true.

10. He was tight lipped about Iran, but did a confusing drive-by on Cuba

He didn’t say much of consequence about the Iran conflict, or about the mad US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

(While I’m here, big shout out to Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost for coming up with the best possible formulation of the following joke: “He keeps saying Iran don’t have the cards, but they’re holding a strait.”)

But he made a casual threat to Cuba, apparently forgetting who was in charge of the country. He said: “Cuba’s been a terribly run country for a long time. It’s got a bad system. It’s been very oppressive, as you know, and we have a lot of great Cuban Americans, all of whom just about voted for me. And uh they were treated very badly. In many cases, family members have been killed. They’ve been beaten up and mugged and like terrible things happened in Cuba. And Cuba is a failing nation. And we’re going to do this. We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this, but Cuba is a nation that was has been horribly run for many years by Castro.”

Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel Castro, stepped down as leader of Cuba in 2018. Since then the President and leader of the Communist Party has been Miguel Díaz-Canel.

11. Then he had a pop at the UK, just for good measure

Trump this morning rolled out his regular attack on the UK for deciding not to drill for oil in the North Sea. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “Europe is desperate for Energy, and yet the United Kingdom refuses to open North Sea Oil, one of the greatest fields in the World. Tragic!!!

He added: “Aberdeen should be booming. Norway sells its North Sea Oil to the UK at double the price. They are making a fortune. UK, which is better situated on the North Sea for purposes of energy than Norway, should, DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! It is absolutely crazy that they don’t… AND, NO MORE WINDMILLS! President DJT” There is a lot going on here. Of course, on the surface, drilling in the North Sea would be advantageous for mitigating the impact of a the Strait of Hormuz being blocked which, let’s not forget, is entirely his fault. Another factor is that a lot of the firms who would do the actual drilling are American.

But the true genesis of Trump’s push for North Sea Drilling is much more personal. Back in 2012, Trump was embroiled in a legal battle with the Scottish government, who wanted to build 11 wind turbines off the coast of Aberdeenshire. Right next to one of his golf courses. Trump, of course, objected, arguing they would be ugly and ruin the view from his luxury resort. He appealed the plans through the Scottish courts right up to the UK Supreme Court…but lost, and the farm went ahead.

In fairness, I’ve been to Trump International Aberdeen, and whatever you think of wind farms, they’re really close to the course and quite imposing. You can understand why he’d be annoyed, though not necessarily why he’d keep picking that battle for more than a decade.