President Donald Trump posted a seemingly artificially enhanced photo of himself depicted as the pope on Truth Social Friday night and it has sparked dueling backlash and praise on social media.
Newsweek reached out to the Vatican via email Friday night for comment.
The Context
Pope Francis’ death on April 21 marked a time of mourning for millions of Catholics around the world. Francis died from complications related to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
His funeral took place on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in front of heads of state, including the president and first lady Melania Trump, clergy and the general public. Francis’ body was laid to rest in St. Mary Major, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome.
Francis’ leadership in the Catholic Church sparked distinguishable change, mainly with his views on the LGBTQ+ community.
What To Know
The president posted the picture at 10:29 p.m. Friday, without a caption or comment. The post immediately garnered positive and negative reaction online.
Comedian Terrance K. Williams posted on X, formerly Twitter, Friday night, “Pope Trump… Lol our President just posted this. He’s trolling because he knows the media is going to flip out. Love it Actually I love the sound of King Trump, the first of his name.”
Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health and former Democratic congressional candidate, also posted to X on Friday night, saying, “The guy who broke all 10 commandments is posting pictures of himself cosplaying as the next Pope.”
Trump was asked this week whom he’d like to see succeed Francis as the new pope. “I’d like to be pope,” he quipped.
Continuing, he added while speaking to reporters on Wednesday: “That would be my number one choice. No, I don’t know, I have no preference. … I must say, we have a cardinal [Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York since 2009] that happens to be out of a place called New York, who’s very good.
“So, we’ll see what happens.”
Speculation has mounted over who could be the next pope, as betting odds and social media chatter have swirled. According to bookmakers and Vatican analysts, a handful of potential candidates have strong odds.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of state and also his acting interim national security adviser, also quipped about being the next pope in an interview on Thursday with Fox News‘ Sean Hannity.
Rubio said in part, “You don’t have to be a priest. Any—people don’t know that. Any unmarried Catholic male can be pope, but I got married and I’m happily married, so I guess I’ll miss out on that one.”
Vice President JD Vance first joked about Rubio being pope, posting to X on Thursday, “I think he could take on a bit more. If only there was a job opening for a devout Catholic…”
What People Are Saying
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted to X on Tuesday: “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. 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! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”
The Republicans Against Trump X account on Friday: “Donald Trump just posted a photo of himself as the Pope. It’s full-on lunacy at this point.”
The MAGA Voice X account on Friday: “HOLY SH*T 🚨 Donald Trump stuns the world by posting a picture of himself as the next Pope 🔥 Donald Trump would be one of the BEST Popes to ever live 🙏”
Art Candee, Chicago-based artist and frequent Trump critic, posted to X on Friday: “Donald Trump is now posting AI images cosplaying as the Pope. Bro isn’t right in the head.”
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, historian and political commentator, posted to X on Friday: “Authoritarian leader cult alert”
What Happens Next
The conclave process to select the next pope begins on Wednesday.