WEST PALM BEACH – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked widespread backlash online after posting an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope. The image, shared on his Truth Social account on May 2, has drawn sharp criticism from internet users, including members of his own Republican Party, who view it as deeply disrespectful to Catholics.
The 78-year-old Trump, who is not a practicing Catholic and rarely attends church, shared the AI-generated image just days after attending Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican on April 26. The image shows a stone-faced Trump wearing white papal robes, sitting on a throne-like chair, and raising his right index finger in a blessing-like gesture. The post was later reposted to his X (formerly Twitter) account, and even the White House’s X account shared the image, further fueling the controversy.
The Vatican has not issued any official comment, but online users—including anti-Trump Republicans—have slammed the post as offensive and mocking Catholic beliefs. Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister of Italy, denounced the post on X, calling it “an insult to the faithful and the institution” and accusing Trump of acting like a clown while the U.S. economy teeters on the brink of recession and the dollar weakens.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had joked publicly about wanting to be the “first choice” for the next pope, before suggesting Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, would be a good candidate. However, Reuters noted that Cardinal Dolan is not among the likely successors, while Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, is considered a more probable contender. Notably, no American has ever been elected Pope. (TNA)
