U.S. President Donald Trump stirred buzz on Friday after posting a spoof image of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform, following a lighthearted remark that he would like to be the next Catholic pontiff.
The AI-generated image shows Trump in full papal attire—white robes, a gold crucifix, and the traditional miter hat—raising his right index finger toward the sky.
This comes days before cardinals convene on May 7 for a conclave to elect a new pope, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. When asked who he would prefer as the next pontiff, Trump told reporters, “I’d like to be pope, that would be my number one choice.”
He added that he had no particular favorite but praised a “very good” cardinal in New York—believed to be Archbishop Timothy Dolan, a conservative Catholic known for his anti-abortion stance.
Trump recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis, marking his first foreign trip since returning to power.
Roughly 20% of Americans identify as Catholic, and polls from the last election show that about 60% of them voted for Trump.
Pope Francis had been a vocal critic of Trump, particularly over immigration policies. In 2016, he publicly condemned Trump’s proposed border wall, saying, “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian.”
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