Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
The U.S. President posted a papal-themed image of himself just 11 days after the death of Pope Francis, amid ongoing mourning and before a new pontiff has been elected.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted an image of himself dressed as the Pope on his social media platform, just 11 days after the death of Pope Francis and before a successor has been chosen. The image, generated by artificial intelligence, shows Trump seated on a throne, wearing full papal attire including white robes with gold embellishments, a large cross around his neck, and his right hand raised.
The post follows a remark made earlier in the week by Trump, in which he stated that becoming the Pope would be his “number one choice.” Trump had also recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis.
The Pope serves as the global head of the Catholic Church and is considered a sacred figure by hundreds of millions of believers, viewed as the successor to Saint Peter, the first Pope and a disciple of Jesus. The Catholic community remains in a formal mourning period following Pope Francis’s passing, and the process of selecting a new pontiff has not yet been completed.
Trump’s post drew swift and widespread reactions online. Many users, noting that Trump is not Catholic, expressed disapproval and called for the post to be removed. Some commenters described the image as disrespectful to the memory of the late Pope and to Catholic traditions. Others referred to the timing of the post as inappropriate, given the current mourning period observed by the Church.
Additional responses included users characterizing the post as offensive or irreverent, with some using strong terms such as “psychopath” or “sacrilege” in their criticisms. Conversely, some of Trump's supporters praised the move, stating that it provoked opponents and generated attention. Several supportive users responded by sharing memes and positive messages.
Christianity constitutes approximately 65 percent of the U.S. population, with Protestantism as the dominant denomination. Of the estimated 140 million Protestant Christians in the U.S., a large portion belong to Evangelical streams. Catholicism is the second-largest Christian denomination in the country, with approximately 75 million adherents, including President Joe Biden.
The post follows a remark made earlier in the week by Trump, in which he stated that becoming the Pope would be his “number one choice.” Trump had also recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis.
The Pope serves as the global head of the Catholic Church and is considered a sacred figure by hundreds of millions of believers, viewed as the successor to Saint Peter, the first Pope and a disciple of Jesus. The Catholic community remains in a formal mourning period following Pope Francis’s passing, and the process of selecting a new pontiff has not yet been completed.
Trump’s post drew swift and widespread reactions online. Many users, noting that Trump is not Catholic, expressed disapproval and called for the post to be removed. Some commenters described the image as disrespectful to the memory of the late Pope and to Catholic traditions. Others referred to the timing of the post as inappropriate, given the current mourning period observed by the Church.
Additional responses included users characterizing the post as offensive or irreverent, with some using strong terms such as “psychopath” or “sacrilege” in their criticisms. Conversely, some of Trump's supporters praised the move, stating that it provoked opponents and generated attention. Several supportive users responded by sharing memes and positive messages.
Christianity constitutes approximately 65 percent of the U.S. population, with Protestantism as the dominant denomination. Of the estimated 140 million Protestant Christians in the U.S., a large portion belong to Evangelical streams. Catholicism is the second-largest Christian denomination in the country, with approximately 75 million adherents, including President Joe Biden.