by InTrieste
President Donald J. Trump stirred controversy on Friday night after posting an artificial intelligence–generated image of himself dressed as the pope on his social media platform, Truth Social. The image, which quickly went viral, was met with a wave of backlash online, with critics calling it offensive, inappropriate, and tone-deaf—particularly given the context of recent events in the Vatican.
Adding to the furor, the White House amplified the post by sharing it on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, prompting further outrage from both political opponents and religious observers. “Disrespectful,” “embarrassing,” and “insensitive” were among the descriptors flooding the comments. Some, however, defended the image as lighthearted and humorous.
The post comes just one week after Mr. Trump attended the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Catholic world is now poised for a solemn transition, with a papal conclave scheduled to begin on May 7, where 133 cardinal-electors will gather in the Sistine Chapel to choose the 267th pontiff and spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Earlier this week, during an impromptu exchange with reporters, Mr. Trump was asked for his thoughts on the upcoming conclave. “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice,” he quipped, before adding that New York has a “very good” candidate—seemingly referring to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.
The remark, delivered with characteristic bravado, was quickly followed by an unexpected endorsement from Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. In a post on social media, the Republican senator called Trump “a dark horse candidate” for the papacy, drawing criticism and mockery online.
Religious scholars and political analysts alike expressed concern over the politicization and perceived trivialization of the papal succession process. “This is a profoundly sacred moment for Catholics around the world,” said Maria DeSilva, a professor of theology at Georgetown University. “To see it treated like a campaign joke diminishes the gravity of what’s happening in Rome.”
The Vatican has not publicly commented on the incident. Inside sources suggest the Holy See is intent on maintaining the conclave’s traditional secrecy and solemnity, despite the noise outside its walls.
As the world awaits the decision of the cardinal-electors, Trump’s provocative post has once again demonstrated his knack for dominating headlines—and sparking controversy—even in the most unlikely of contexts.
