Donald Trump sparks backlash after posting AI image of himself as Pope
US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy online after sharing an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal attire on social media platform, Truth Social, on Saturday. The post comes just days after Trump jokingly declared himself as his choice for the new Pope, following the recent death of Pope Francis.
Francis, who passed away last month at the age of 88 due to a stroke and heart failure, was mourned by world leaders, including Trump, who attended his funeral.
However, the AI-generated image, which depicts Trump in white papal robes, has triggered strong reactions across social media, which critics accusing him of mocking the late Pope and showing disrespect to the Catholic Church.
“This is disrespectful to the church and God himself…he is literally the antichrist,” one user commented. Others described the post as “offensive” and “narcissistic”.
Another person commented, “How disrespectful to Catholics. That is what Trump and his maggots are all about, disrespect and meanness and stupidity. How dare you mock the process we Catholics go through to pick a new pope.”
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025
The image was posted shortly after Trump’s comment to a reporter about who he would like to see succeed Pope Francis. “I would like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice,” the 78-year-old quipped.
Trump added that he had no specific preference for the successor to Pope Francis, but praised Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, saying, “We will see what happens.”
