When the White House unveiled Donald Trump’s new official portrait this August, the reaction was immediate and visceral.
The image — Trump striding forward, surrounded by rows of American flags, with a fiery orange glow behind him — was supposed to project strength and patriotism. Instead, it evoked something darker, older, and unmistakably religious.
“Why is the country on fire behind him?” asked one commenter. Another wrote: “It fits. America is burning, and Trump walks away untouched.” (Express, Aug. 2025)
For some, the portrait carried “satanic” undertones. For others, it revealed the deeper truth: Trump is not being framed as a president, but as a sacral warrior.
✝️ From Caesar to Saint: Trump as St. George the Trophy-Bearer
The imagery of Trump’s portrait mirrors centuries of Christian iconography.
St. George the Trophy-Bearer was painted as a warrior saint, clad in armor, haloed by divine light.
He was the archetype of the divine protector: not a humble carpenter like Christ, but a warrior sent to destroy evil.
Trump’s portrait borrows this visual grammar:
The firelit sky is the halo of divine battle.
The flags form his heavenly hosts.
His forward stride echoes the saint’s righteous advance.
The message is unmistakable: Trump is not merely a leader, but a chosen knight in a cosmic war.
🔥 Inquisitorial Shadows: The Theatre of Fire
Another historical echo comes from Inquisition art, such as Francisco Goya’s depictions of heresy trials.
The background of fire in Trump’s portrait recalls the flames of judgment — the burning of heretics, the purging of the impure.
Inquisition art used fire as both punishment and purification, a signal that violence was sacred when done in God’s name.
Trump’s image carries the same charge: America is burning, but the flames are righteous, cleansing. He alone emerges untouched, the judge above the fire.
🧩 Why This Matters
This is not accidental. Trump has been surrounded by Christian nationalist figures for years, from Michael Flynn to Mike Johnson, who openly frame politics as a holy war.
To his base, this portrait is not art, it is prophecy.
To his enemies, it is intimidation: the image of an inquisitor-president.
To me as a history nerd, it shows how American politics has slipped into the realm of the myths and religious fervour.
It is reminiscent not of 20th century authoritarian propaganda, but something much older such as pre-Renaissance medieval religious iconography and Spanish inquisition artwork.
📌 The Danger of Political Religion
We have been here before:
Medieval Europe burned in plague panics, crusades, and inquisitions.
In each case, leaders framed themselves as divine warriors, their enemies as demons.
The result was hysteria, pogroms, and holy wars that lasted generations.
Trump’s new portrait is not just kitsch amateur art. It is a signal that America’s democracy is being reframed as a medieval theocracy.
🎨 Icons of the New Crusade
Look closely, and the visual genealogy is clear:
St. George (medieval iconography): The divine knight chosen by God.
Inquisition art (Goya and beyond): Fire as judgment, purification of the nation.
Trump 2025 portrait: A 79-year-old hotelier dressed in the light of saints and inquisitors, recast as the divine warrior of MAGA.
This is the visual theme of QAnon-Christian nationalism. It is the art of hysteria, the myth of the coming apocalypse rendered by Trump supporting evangelical christian artists.
⚠️ Why It Succeeds
Because myth is stronger than policy. Because in times of fear and chaos, people want not leaders but saviours. Because when politics becomes religion, violence feels like duty.
🔮 Trump’s portrait is not just a picture. It is a warning. The age of politics and violent religious fervour has returned, and America may be marching, flags blazing, straight into its own Inquisition.
For further reading:
Far-Right Appropriation of Medieval Military Orders - Dr. Rory Maclellan
Myth and legend in modern world - Decoding trolls
That portrait is the apotheosis of bonkers. We are so screwed.
On point