Trump for Pope? AI viral photo draws wide criticism
US President Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated photo showing himself as the Pope ahead of this week’s papal conclave.
The image was shared just days after Trump joked he would “like to be Pope”.
Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday.
It was less than a week after he attended the funeral of Pope Francis, who died at 88 last month, and broke the dress code wearing a blue suit.
The White House then reposted it on its official X account.
The image shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with his right forefinger raised.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025
The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on X, including from Republicans against Trump, a group that describes itself as “pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism.”
The group reposted the image, calling it “a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith”.
“It’s full-on lunacy at this point,” said Republicans Against Trump.
Former Maryland Governor and Republication National Convention chair Michael Steele said Trump was like a 10-year-old child.
“This affirms how unserious and incapable he is.”
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Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the image during a briefing with journalists about the process of electing a new pope, which begins on May 7.
In mid-February, both Trump and the official White House social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of the president wearing a crown and captioned “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
In West Palm Beach, Debbie Macchia, 60, stood waiting with a dozen other supporters as Trump’s motorcade arrived at his golf club on Saturday morning.
“He was clearly joking. Clearly joking,” said Macchia, who is Jewish.
