Donald Trump has posted an AI-made image of himself dressed as the pope on Truth Social, less than two weeks after the death of Pope Francis.
The image shows Trump wearing a large gold cross and papal robes. It was shared early Saturday morning without a caption or explanation.
Shortly after, the same image appeared on the White House’s X and Instagram pages, where it gained over 100,000 likes despite strong criticism.
This came days after Trump jokingly said he wanted to be pope. When asked who he hoped would replace Francis, Trump replied, “I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.”
He then said he had no real preference, though he mentioned a “very good” cardinal from New York.
The post drew accusations of mocking the Pope’s death. On Instagram, it had over 58,000 likes by noon UK time, but many user comments were negative.
One user wrote: “This isn’t funny. It’s not satire. And it’s not harmless.” Others called it “disgusting,” “disturbing,” and “offensive.”
On X, where it was liked more than 78,000 times, someone commented that Trump was “making a mockery of the pious.” Another said it was “not a wise decision.”
The conclave to elect a new pope will begin on May 7 following Pope Francis’s death.
Francis, who became pope in 2013, died on Easter Monday at 88 from a stroke and heart failure.
Last weekend, Trump was criticised for wearing a non-traditional blue suit and chewing gum at Francis’s Vatican funeral.
His brief meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the mass was described by some clergy as “Pope Francis’s miracle.”
Trump’s religious identity has long been debated. Raised Presbyterian, he called himself non-denominational in 2020.
Despite doubts about his faith, Trump remains popular among conservative Christians and evangelicals who supported his election.
Earlier this year, he shared another strange AI video on Truth Social showing a futuristic version of Gaza under his peace plan.
The video depicted luxury buildings, beaches, and yachts, and included figures like Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk.
