President Donald Trump continues to court controversy with jokes about being named pope. On Friday (May 2), Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal regalia.
The post came less than two weeks after the pope’s death.
On April 21, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. Known for his informality and emphasis on caring for migrants and the disadvantaged, as well as several reforms to the Catholic Church, Francis was a controversial figure—particularly among American conservatives
The papal conclave, which will select Francis’ successor, is set to convene this week. Until a new pope is appointed, speculation has swirled about what manner of leader will fill the role.
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Vice President J.D. Vance, a practicing Catholic, was one of the last world leaders to have an audience with the pope before his passing. While Francis disapproved of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and at one point seemed to publicly criticize Vance’s understanding of Catholic teaching, Vance only expressed deep appreciation for Francis following Francis’ death.
In a separate instance, President Trump was asked by a reporter for his thoughts on who the next pope might be. Trump responded, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice.”
“No, I don’t know. I have no preference. I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good,” Trump went on to say, apparently referring to Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. “So we’ll see what happens.”
While Trump was joking, some took offense to his remarks.
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Trump was also criticized following the pope’s funeral. Several photographs began circulating online showing Trump wearing a bright blue suit amid several others who wore black. Other pictures showed the president apparently sleeping.
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