- By Shivangi Sharma
- Sun, 04 May 2025 07:23 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
US President Donald Trump has once again found himself at the centre of controversy, this time for posting an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope. The image, shared on his Truth Social account and later reposted from the official White House X handle, has ignited backlash from the Catholic community and even some of his own loyal base.
The AI-generated image, depicting Trump in papal robes, surfaced just days after the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26. The Vatican is currently in a solemn nine-day mourning period, and cardinals from around the world are in Rome for the conclave, the secretive process of electing a new pope. The timing of Trump’s post has been viewed as especially insensitive by Catholics and observers worldwide. Trump recently joked about wanting to be pope during a campaign event. This, combined with the AI image, has left many questioning his respect for religious institutions.
Condemnation From Global Leaders
Matteo Renzi, former Italian prime minister, condemned the post as “shameful.” In a scathing statement on X, Renzi said, “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions, and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around.”
Questa è una immagine che offende i credenti, insulta le istituzioni e dimostra che il capo della destra mondiale si diverte a fare il clown. Nel frattempo l’economia americana rischia la recessione e il dollaro perde valore. I sovranisti fanno danni, ovunque pic.twitter.com/fwSpqExDVt
— Matteo Renzi (@matteorenzi) May 3, 2025
Even within the US, conservative voices were divided. While some chose to deflect attention by attacking critics, others found the post distasteful. Republican Senator JD Vance, instead of addressing the image directly, took a jab at political commentator Bill Kristol by referencing the Iraq war. However, many online were not as dismissive.
The public response on social media has been intense. One user commented, “I just want you all to picture literally ANY other figure of authority in any other country doing dumb stuff like this and realise how insane it would really look to the general public. But sadly, this is our reality. Omfg.”
I just want you all to picture literally ANY other figure of authority in any other country doing dumb shit like this and realize how insane it would really look to the general public. But sadly this is our reality omfg
— 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛🦇 (@BrowseHorror) May 3, 2025
Another user was more direct: “This is disrespectful to the Church and God himself… he’s literally the antichrist.”
this is disrespectful to the church and God himself… he’s literally the antichrist
— Eren 👾 (@erenfromtargets) May 3, 2025