WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sparked online controversy with a recent social media post, where many accused him of disrespecting Catholics.
On Friday, May 2, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself wearing papal attire on Truth Social, just days after the death of Pope Francis.
Donald Trump shares AI-generated image in papal attire
The post, which featured the AI image of Trump in papal clothing, has received over 10,000 likes and about 2,700 reshares so far.
Pope Francis passed away in April at the age of 88, following a stroke and heart failure, as confirmed by a death certificate released last week by Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli.
It’s worth noting that both Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the Pope’s funeral in Rome last week. Trump drew attention during the event as he was the only world leader not wearing black.
Trump wore a navy blue suit with a matching tie to complete his look, while the First Lady chose an all-black outfit for the funeral.
In an interesting moment, Trump recently joked with reporters, saying, “I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.”
I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!
The first Pope-U.S. President combination has… pic.twitter.com/MM9vE5Uvzb
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 29, 2025
The POTUS also shared his thoughts on who might be the next Pope. He mentioned that he doesn’t have a specific preference for who should succeed the late Pope Francis, but added, “I must say we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens.”
Reports suggest he was referring to Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, according to Time.
Internet Criticizes Donald Trump for Posting AI Image in Papal Robes
Donald Trump faced backlash online after sharing an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal attire, just days following Pope Francis’ death.
An X account called Republicans against Trump commented, “Donald Trump just posted a photo of himself as the Pope. It’s full-on lunacy at this point.”
Donald Trump just posted a photo of himself as the Pope.
It’s full-on lunacy at this point. pic.twitter.com/7be1cIgUwK
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 3, 2025
A user posted on X: “Please take this down. I know it’s meant as a harmless joke, but many Catholics, myself included, find this a great disrespect to the past and future leader of our church,” while another added, “This is a lack of respect to the Catholic community.”
Someone else said, “Do Not Like This Pic nor the suggestion of it at all!!!” and another person mentioned, “I’m not Catholic but that’s just too far for me. Love him as my president, pray for him every day, but this…nope.”
A user also commented, “Sir, you are the Head of a Big powerful country. Stop this madness. This is purely low and very dumb. You comprehend other countries have access to this platform? You are putting smart people of America in a Shame. Disrespectful. 10 years old child humor,” while another added, “Dumb, and disrespectful.”
Sir you are the Head of a Big powerful country.
Stop this madness.
This is purely low and very dumb.
You comprehend other countries have access to this platform?
You are putting smart people of America in a Shame. Disrespectful. 10 years old child humor.
— MarBro (@MarosSoram) May 3, 2025
A person commented, “Delete it, this is blasphemous,” while another wrote, “Trump, as someone outside the US, I find your post utterly disrespectful to the Catholic community worldwide. The papacy is a sacred institution for millions, and this mockery is an affront to their beliefs. A leader of your stature should promote respect, not division, across borders and faiths.”
This article includes statements made by individuals and organizations on the Internet.