(United States, May 4) – Former US President Donald Trump recently posted a satirical image of himself dressed in papal attire on social media, drawing criticism from the US Catholic community.
According to AFP, the AI-generated image shows Trump wearing a white papal cassock, a gold cross pendant, and a papal tiara, with his right index finger pointing to the sky, resembling an actual Catholic leader.
Trump posted the image on May 2 at 10:29 PM without any accompanying caption or comment. Surprisingly, the White House’s official account on the X platform also shared the image.
In the comments section, many netizens criticized Trump’s actions as “offensive” and condemned the White House’s decision to repost it.
Just days earlier, Trump had told the media that he “wants to be the next Pope,” describing it as his “top priority.”
Trump’s remarks and actions have drawn harsh criticism from the US Catholic community. The “New York State Catholic Conference,” which represents Catholic bishops in New York, posted on social media:
“Mr. President, this image is neither funny nor clever… We’ve just laid to rest our beloved Pope Francis, and the College of Cardinals is preparing for a solemn moment of election. Please do not mock us.”
“Mr. President, this image is neither funny nor clever… We’ve just laid to rest our beloved Pope Francis, and the College of Cardinals is preparing for a solemn moment of election. Please do not mock us.”
The Catholic College of Cardinals will convene on May 7 at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City to elect the next Pope.