In a stunning move, President Donald Trump on Friday night shared an apparent AI-generated image of himself dressed as a Catholic pope—just 11 days after the real pontiff’s death, a funeral Trump reportedly attended.
The image shows Trump seated on a papal throne, clad entirely in white, right hand raised as if offering a blessing, with a large crucifix hanging from his neck. He posted the image without comment on both his Truth Social account and an X account that republishes his posts.
The post has drawn fierce backlash.
When asked earlier in the week who he’d like to see replace Pope Francis, Trump joked, “I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.” But critics didn’t find the image amusing.
“Please take this down,” one commenter urged, calling the post deeply disrespectful to Catholics.
Another person, identifying as a non-American, wrote: “This is an insult to the global Catholic community. The papacy is sacred, and this is mockery.” Others called it “blasphemous,” “disgusting,” and “classless,” accusing Trump of being sacrilegious.
Still, the post has also received praise from some of his followers, who see it as a humorous and provocative jab at his critics, calling him the “ultimate troll.”
Supporters celebrate how he stirred outrage, though some questioned whether devout Catholics—often politically conservative—would appreciate the timing or tone.
One critic summed up the sentiment: “You wanna play pope? Do pope stuff—like help the poor.”
