As Papal Conclave nears, Donald Trump pokes fun, posts AI photo of himself as Pope, and faces massive backlash from Catholics

As the papal conclave is approaching to elect Pope Francis' successor, US President Donald Trump again stoked the fire with a provocative joke. On Friday, he went onto his social media site Truth Social, where he uploaded an AI image of himself dressed in papal regalia, as per the report.

According to The Telegraph, the AI picture Trump posted without a caption, showed him draped in white robes, wearing a gold crucifix pendant and mitre hat, while pointing his right index finger to the sky.

Did Donald Trump Cross the Line?

Trump's mocking image came only a few days prior to the conclave, when the cardinals would elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, as per the report.


Earlier in the week, Trump had jokingly remarked when asked who he thought should succeed Pope Francis, he said, “I’d like to be pope, that would be my number one choice,” quoted The Telegraph.

While, he later mentioned that he did not have a preference for the next pope, but added that “We have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who is very good”, as quoted in the report. According to The Telegraph, Trump might be referring to Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.

Trump's AI Photo Sparks Controversy

The US president's AI photo as the next pope went viral and many criticised him.

A former Democratic congressional candidate, Melanie D’Arrigo said, “The guy who broke all Ten Commandments is posting pictures of himself cosplaying as the next pope,” quoted The Telegraph.

Even the Republicans who are against Trump's move, said, “Trump just posted a photo of himself as the pope. It’s full-on lunacy at this point,” as quoted in the report.

FAQs

What is the papal conclave?
It’s the formal process by which cardinals elect a new pope.

Did Trump suggest any candidate to be the next pope?
He jokingly mentioned a “very good” cardinal from New York, likely referring to Archbishop Timothy Dolan.