U.S. President Donald Trump once again found himself at the center of controversy after posting an image on Truth Social portraying himself as the pope. The White House shared the post on its official X account (formerly Twitter), further fueling the reaction on social media.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025
The image, generated with artificial intelligence, shows Trump dressed in a white cassock, wearing a mitre, a golden cross on his chest, and his right arm raised as if giving a blessing. The post comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Catholic world: next Wednesday, the conclave will be held to elect a new pope following the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21.
Trump himself had stirred controversy days earlier by stating from the White House that he would like to occupy the throne of St. Peter. “I would like to be pope. That would be my number one choice. I think I’d be a great pope. Nobody would do it better than me,” he said on Wednesday during an official event.
The president also drew criticism for his behavior at Francis’ funeral, held Saturday at the Vatican. Trump attended wearing blue, breaking with protocol that traditionally requires black attire for such occasions.
He also expressed support for a specific candidate to succeed the late pontiff. “I must say there’s a cardinal from a place called New York who is very good. We’ll see what happens,” he said, referring to Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York, who will take part in the conclave. Dolan was also present at the 2013 conclave, where he received two votes.
The United States will be represented by ten cardinals in this election. Other prominent American names include Raymond Burke, a favorite among the Church’s conservative ranks, and Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who is known for his fluency in Spanish.
