President Donald Trump stirred controversy after posting an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope, just days before Catholic cardinals are set to convene to elect a new leader of the 1.4 billion-member Church. The post came shortly after Trump quipped that he would “like to be pope.”
Trump, who is not a practicing Catholic, shared the image on his Truth Social account late Friday less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away last month at the age of 88. The White House later reposted the image on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The AI-generated image depicts Trump seated solemnly in a richly adorned chair, wearing white papal garments and a ceremonial headdress, with one finger raised.
The post drew immediate backlash on social media, including from anti-Trump Republican groups. One such group, which identifies as “pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism,” called the image “a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith.”
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also criticized the post, writing on X: “This image offends believers, disrespects institutions, and confirms that the leader of the global right relishes playing the clown while the American economy teeters and the dollar weakens.”
In the U.S., the Catholic bishops of New York condemned the image as well, stating on X: “There is nothing clever or funny about this, Mr. President. We have just laid Pope Francis to rest, and the Church is preparing for a solemn conclave. Please, do not mock our faith.”
