President Donald Trump appears to have angered some Catholics over an artificial intelligence-generated photo of himself dressed as the Pope went viral online.
Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at the age of 88, the president’s Truth Social account shared the fake picture on May 2. The verified White House and POTUS accounts reposted the AI meme on the same day.
However, he now claims his wife, first lady Melania Trump, apparently approved of the controversial image.
The AI image was shared less than a week after the president and the first lady attended Francis’ funeral in the Vatican on April 26. Trump’s appearance at the service went viral because it appeared he had fallen asleep during the ceremony.
Trump, 78, even suggested he should be considered as the next pontiff, saying, “That would be my number one choice.” Catholic groups, such as the New York State Catholic Conference, called out the Republican politician for ridiculing Catholicism.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the New York State Catholic Conference account tweeted on May 3. “We just buried our beloved Pope Francis, and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
The funeral faux pas and the AI photo generated heat directed at Trump. In response to the backlash, he downplayed the idea that he purposely disrespected the papacy and the Catholic community.
“They can’t take a joke. You don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media. The Catholics loved it,” Trump stated at a May 5 Oval Office news conference in response to a question about the outrage over the bogus photo.
He also said, “Somebody made 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. Actually, my wife thought it was cute. She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?'”
Trump claiming Melania, 55, found the AI image endearing ignited even more polarizing online commentary about the commander in chief’s supposed humor at the expense of mourning Catholics.
“Melania claims to be Catholic, so guaranteed she did not find the blasphemy against the leader of the Catholic church ‘cute’. Oh, and he lies. ABOUT EVERYTHING, so…,” one person wrote in the comment section of a People article about the flap.
Another Trump critic wrote, “He couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended upon it.” A third person wondered, “‘The most powerful man in the world’ has no idea how it got posted on his social media? Yeah right. And NO, Catholics don’t love it!!”
The former “The Apprentice” reality television star did get some support on the website. For instance, one person commented, “I found it hilarious.” Another individual posted, “I really don’t see what the issue is.”
Melania was reportedly “honored” to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, which happened to be on the same day as her 55th birthday despite being “quiet” about her Catholic faith.
“She respected the pope,” an unnamed source told People in April 2025, one day after Pope Francis was laid to rest. “It is a sad time for Catholics around the world, and the first lady is honored to go to the funeral.”
Melania met Pope Francis in May 2017 when she and her husband embarked on their first overseas trip during Trump’s first term in the White House. She tweeted at the time, “Today’s visit with His Holiness Pope Francis @Pontifex is one I’ll never forget. I was humbled by the honor. Blessings to all.”
According to Reuters, the 133 cardinals who will be part of the secret conclave to elect the next pope have arrived in Rome. The process to select Pope Francis’ successor will begin on May 7. The Roman Catholic Church has an estimated 1.4 billion followers around the world.
