Former President Trump criticized the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, reacting to a segment that many believe ridiculed Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting “The Last Supper.”
“I viewed the opening ceremony as a disgrace, to be honest,” Trump expressed during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” on Monday. “It was indeed disgraceful.”
The performance featured dancers, including those in drag, surrounding a table that appeared to imitate the final meal shared by Jesus and his disciples.
Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. (Ludovic Marin – Pool/Getty Images)
The French Bishops’ Conference stated that the ceremony “included scenes mocking and ridiculing Christianity.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also criticized the scene in a post on X, stating, “Last night’s parody of the Last Supper was shocking and offensive to Christian individuals globally who witnessed the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony.” He added, “The ongoing assault on our faith and traditional values shows no bounds. However, we believe that truth and virtue will ultimately triumph.”
Thomas Jolly, the director of the opening ceremony, explained to French TV station BFMTV over the weekend that “The Last Supper” was not his source of inspiration for the highly controversial scene.
“It was never my intention,” he remarked. “There is Dionysus who arrives at this table, as he is the God of celebration in Greek mythology. The god of wine, a treasure of France, and the father of Sequana, the goddess associated with the Seine river. The concept was to celebrate pagan traditions connected to the Olympian gods.”
“You will never find in my work a desire to mock or belittle anyone. I aimed to create a ceremony that heals, reconciles, and reaffirms the values of our Republic: liberty, equality, fraternity,” Jolly continued.
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Trump stated if he were involved with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, he would ensure there wouldn’t be a depiction of “The Last Supper.”
An LA28 presentation and meeting show images of Los Angeles in Paris, France Tuesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“We won’t be depicting a Last Supper in the manner they did recently,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
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“They are entitled to their expressions, but I found it terrible,” Trump remarked. “I’m open to diversity, but I considered what they did to be a disgrace.”
