It hasn’t even been a month since Pope Francis died, but an AI-generated photo of Donald Trump as a pontiff is already doing the rounds on social media platforms. The picture in question, which was posted by the President himself and later shared by The White House, has caused a stir over the weekend, sparking divided reactions on the internet.
However, Trump insisted, despite the controversy, “the Catholics loved it,” and so did his wife, Melania.
The photo was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account during the mourning period of Pope Francis, who was buried in Rome last week. Just when the whole world is looking forward to the highly anticipated papal conclave for the selection of his successor, the U.S. President simply shared his AI-generated photo as pope on his Truth Social.
The White House further reposted it on X (formerly Twitter). He was asked whether the official White House account posting the photo “diminished” the gravitas of the account. Donald Trump simply replied, “Somebody did it in fun. It’s fine. You have to have a little fun, don’t you?”
He also insisted that “the Catholics loved it,” despite many remarking that it was quite disrespectful. The Republican leader then revealed that Melania Trump also appreciated the image. “Actually, my wife thought it was cute,” he said. “Ha ha she said, isn’t that nice?”
He further discussed how his life would be if he were to be a pope for real. “Actually, I would not be able to be married, though. That would be a lot.” He added, “To the best of my knowledge, Popes aren’t big on getting married, are they? Not that we know of.”
Although Trump insists on having “all” Catholics’ approval, that doesn’t seem to be the case; the New York Catholic Conference found it rather “mocking.” On X, the official NYC Catholic Conference account wrote, “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis, and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor for St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
Some social media users also brutally criticized Trump and his White House for “poor taste” and mockery of an important religious figure. “While some may find it funny, it disrespects Catholics and the papacy. Public officials should avoid mocking religious figures, even if meant as a joke,” one person wrote.
“The Pope image of Trump on the WH account was in poor taste,” another simply added. Another commentator wrote, “How is a government account posting this.”
Some tried to defend the President, saying that it was “humor.” One user wrote, “Jesus used humor to clarify his teachings. Humor was a tool that helped Jesus make his messages clearer and more engaging.”
I’m not even Catholic and I find this in extremely poor taste.
— Cedric Hohnstadt (@cedrichohnstadt) May 3, 2025
On April 26, Pope Francis’ funeral was held at St. Peter’s Square. Trump, along with many world leaders, was in attendance. His wife, Melania, accompanied him, and their PDA sparked quite a sensation on the internet.
