The US president insists Catholics “loved” the joke
President Donald Trump has dismissed criticism over a viral AI-generated image depicting him in papal attire, insisting the backlash is being driven by the “fake news media,” not the Catholic community.
The digitally altered image, which shows Trump wearing a white papal robe, gold crucifix, and mitre, was posted on his Truth Social platform and the official White House account on X on Saturday. The post followed Trump’s recent remarks joking about becoming the next pope after Pope Francis’ death on April 21.
The image sparked mixed reactions online, with some finding it humorous and others calling it inappropriate. Addressing the controversy on Monday, Trump pushed back on claims that Catholics were offended.
“Oh, I see. You mean they can’t take a joke? You don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media. The Catholics loved it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He added that he had no role in sharing the image: “Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the Pope, and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it. I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”
Trump said First Lady Melania Trump found the image amusing. He then joked, “Actually, I wouldn’t be able to be married, though… To the best of my knowledge, popes aren’t big on getting married, are they?”
Despite Trump’s claim that “Catholics loved it,” some church leaders expressed disapproval. Bishop Robert Barron said it “was a bad joke that obviously landed very poorly and was seen as offensive by a lot of Catholics.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, commented, “I hope he didn’t have anything to do with that… It wasn’t good.”
Trump and Pope Francis have a long history of disagreement, especially on immigration. In a letter to US Catholic bishops earlier this year, the pope criticized Trump’s mass deportation policies as a “major crisis” that undermines human dignity. Their tensions date back to 2016, when Francis said anyone who builds walls instead of bridges is “not Christian” – a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke of Trump’s proposed border wall.
President Trump and the First Lady attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on April 26. It was Trump’s first overseas trip since returning to office in January. The Vatican has confirmed that the papal conclave to elect a new pope will begin on May 8.
