Riley Gaines Hits Back at Donald Trump Over Jesus Photo: 'I Do Nothing for the Approval of Man' 

Conservative influencer and former athlete Riley Gaines, a staunch President Donald Trump supporter, hit back at the POTUS, who slighted her after she blasted him for his now-deleted AI-generated picture of himself as Jesus Christ.

Gaines questioned Trump’s post on X, stating, "God shall not be mocked" and suggesting that "a little humility would serve him well.”

“Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response?” Gaines posted on X. “Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”

"At the end of the day, I do nothing for the approval of man, no matter who that man is, including the President..." she concluded.

The thin-skinned POTUS, who later tried to spin the picture as him being a doctor or Red Cross worker, didn’t appreciate the comment, saying, "I didn't listen to Riley Gaines. I'm not a big fan of Riley, actually.”

In response to Trump’s dismissal, Gaines reaffirmed her support for his agenda but emphasized her religious priorities.

"At the end of the day, I do nothing for the approval of man, no matter who that man is, including the President. Our purpose on this earth is to glorify Him in all we do,” she said on X.

Despite public friction, Gaines maintained that she still supports Trump and his "America First" agenda, stating that she does not get her "feelings hurt easy" and that her mission is to lead others to Christ.

In February 2025, Gaines attended the White House for the signing of an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from women's sports, where Trump praised her as a "brave swimmer.”

She was a guest at Trump's joint address to Congress on March 4, 2025, to highlight the administration's commitment to her cause.

Social media critics pounced on Gaines’ post, with one noting, “your 15 minutes of fame was over a year ago, ALL because you tied a transgender woman for FIFTH PLACE. Even Donald Trump is sick of you.”

“Riley Gaines has no real job. She is basically a paid troll ($70,000 a year at one point) who posts and travels the country spreading hate. She’ll sell Jesus for Trump because otherwise she’d have to get a real job,” noted another.

Another pounced on the ex-swimmer's hypocrisy, saying, "She said that and then immediately caved and doubled down on her support for her cult leader, Trump. These fake Christians are all the same."

Gaines is a former 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who has become a MAGA activist, author and podcast host.

She campaigns against transgender women competing in women’s sports, advocating for single-gender spaces and the protection of Title IX, and serves as an ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum.