Lindsey Graham Backs Trump to Be the Next Pope: ‘Trump MMXXVIII!’

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Tuesday threw his support behind President Donald Trump to become the next pope.

The Context

Pope Francis died last week and the conclave to elect a successor will start next month. Francis, widely seen as among the most progressive leaders in the history of the Catholic Church, died from complications related to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

He died on April 21, at age 88, one day after delivering remarks on Easter Sunday. Francis’ death marks a global period of mourning for Catholics and condolences poured in from leaders around the world after the Vatican announced his death.

What To Know

Graham’s endorsement of Trump came after the president joked to reporters earlier Tuesday that he would like to be elected the next pope.

“I’d like to be pope,” the president said before departing for Michigan, where he held a rally celebrating his first 100 days in office. “That would be my number one choice.”

A few hours after Trump made his comments, Graham took to X, formerly Twitter, to back Trump as the next head of the Catholic Church.

“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,” the South Carolina Republican wrote alongside a video of Trump’s remarks. “This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!”

Graham added: “The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”

Trump frequently found himself at odds with Francis, who emphasized treating immigrants and refugees with compassion and called for a global response to climate change.

The president, by contrast, has accused undocumented people of being “foreign terrorists,” claimed global warming is a “hoax” and scrapped government initiatives to combat climate change.

Trump expressed condolences for the pope’s passing on Truth Social, writing, “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

The president also attended Francis’ funeral on Saturday after saying earlier in the week that he hadn’t yet decided if he would go.

“I don’t know yet,” he told reporters April 21, during the White House annual Easter egg roll. “We’re going to be briefed on it right now … I just have to look at the timing. We just lowered the flags.”

What People Are Saying

Former President Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, called Francis a champion for the “voiceless and powerless” in a statement, saying: “It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.”

He went on to say Francis was “unlike any who came before him,” adding, “I am better for having known him.”

The statement continued: “For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased.”

Former President Barack Obama said in a statement: “Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound — embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners — he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.”

He continued: “Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example. May we continue to heed his call to “never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.”

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said of Francis in a CNN interview: “He would laugh about so many things. Such a lovely person—joyous and beautiful in spirit.”

What Happens Next

The conclave to elect the next pope will begin on May 7. It was originally scheduled to start two days earlier, but Catholic cardinals decided to delay the secret vote to have more time to get to know one another and come to a consensus on who should succeed Francis.