Donald Trump stirred global backlash after posting an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope.
Yes, full cassock and miter—just days before the Vatican’s conclave to elect a new pontiff.
The kicker? Pope Francis’ funeral had just ended. Subtle timing, right?
The image, shared on Trump’s Truth Social and reposted by the White House, wasn’t taken lightly.
What’s The Reaction?
“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis,” the New York State Catholic Conference wrote.
“Do not mock us.” Italians, many of whom hold the papacy sacred, called it tasteless.
One former prime minister slammed it as “shameful clowning.”
Even the Vatican’s press room was abuzz, though their spokesperson declined to comment—likely stunned into silence.
Trump, meanwhile, seemed unfazed.
“I’d like to be pope,” he quipped last week. And Senator Lindsey Graham?
He leaned into the bit: “Watching for white smoke… Trump MMXXVIII!”
But in a tradition built on humility and secrecy, Trump’s antics may have backfired.
As the old saying goes, “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves as cardinal.”
