Just 11 days after the death of Pope Francis and shortly after attending his funeral, U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope — prompting a wave of backlash from Catholics around the world.
The image, shared on Trump's Truth Social account, shows him seated on a throne, dressed in white robes with gold accents, a large cross around his neck and his right hand raised. The post came while the global Catholic community is still in mourning and before a new pope has been chosen to succeed Francis — considered a holy figure by hundreds of millions of believers as the successor of Saint Peter.
Trump, who is not Catholic, was widely criticized for the post. “Please take this down. Many Catholics, myself included, find this as a great disrespect to the past and future leader of our church,” one commenter wrote, according to The Independent.
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Another user outside the U.S. called it “utterly disrespectful to the Catholic community worldwide. The papacy is a sacred institution for millions, and this mockery is an affront to their beliefs."
Some reactions were even harsher, with critics calling Trump a “psychopath,” accusing him of blasphemy, and describing the post as “disgusting.” His loyal supporters, however, praised the move, saying it “triggered the left” and responded with approving memes. Earlier this week, Trump joked that becoming pope would be his “number one choice.”
Roughly 65% of Americans identify as Christian. Protestantism, particularly evangelical denominations that tend to support Israel, is the dominant branch, with about 140 million adherents. Catholicism is the second-largest Christian denomination in the U.S., with around 75 million followers.