A historic painting of Jesus, relegated to a damp basement during the Biden administration, has been restored to its rightful place by the Trump administration, Newsmax reported on Tuesday, the 7th.

The much-discussed painting, titled "Christ on the Water," had hung on the wall of the Willie Hall Eliot M. See Room at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, for nearly 80 years before being unceremoniously moved to the flooded basement of the academy's chapel in 2023.

Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation overseeing the U.S. Merchant Marine Services, stated, "To bury this historic painting in a basement was not just a mistake, it was an insult to the legacy of faith and service that built this academy and our nation. By returning 'Christ on the Water' to its rightful place, we send a clear message to the cadets: that their Christian faith is not something to be censored but a virtue to be proud of."

The painting, measuring 10 feet wide by 19 feet tall, depicts Jesus, clothed in white and surrounded by a radiant halo, extending his arms to sailors on a lifeboat amidst a ship being hit by torpedoes and tossed about in rough seas.

The painting was moved to the basement by the then-Superintendent, who defied objections from a group called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and complaints from some cadets.

The painting, also known as "Jesus and the Lifeboat," was commissioned in 1944 by renowned merchant marine lieutenant Hunter Wood for the chapel of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Basic School, then under construction in San Mateo, California.

According to information posted on the school's website, the artwork was created to honor all merchant marine sailors who were torpedoed during World War II and officer candidates, then referred to as "cadets."

Captain Tony Ceraolo, acting Superintendent of the academy, expressed his gratitude to Secretary Duffy, stating, "Our purpose is to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the academy. This painting is about history, memory, and hope, ensuring that the stories of our cadets and their wartime experiences are permanently embedded in our collective institutional memory."

Duffy had pledged in April at the U.S. Naval Academy's annual Tailhookers dinner to restore the painting to its original location, a promise that was met with applause.

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), expressed outrage over the painting's return on the organization's website, stating, "Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation and a sycophantic Christian nationalist follower of (Trump), has engaged in a thoroughly cowardly, abhorrent, and vindictive act by having the massive painting of Jesus at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, illegally, unethically, and wrongfully restored to its original unconstitutional place, a nauseating display of Christian supremacy that has been placed in a grand and mandatory academy meeting room." He was reportedly furious and threatened "every possible" legal action.

"This is no different than a lost dog peeing on a neighborhood tree to mark his territory. Duffy is attempting to brand the Naval Academy as conquered Christian nationalist territory. Everyone else is not welcome and does not need to be supported," he added, as reported by Newsmax.

By NNP Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Dispatch NNP info@newsandpost.com