Trump Sparks Backlash With AI Image Of Himself As Pope Ahead Of Conclave

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as pope — igniting accusations from many Catholics worldwide of poor taste.

The post came just days before the conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor is scheduled to start at the Vatican.

Trump posted the image of himself wearing a white cassock and mitre, with his forefinger raised as to give a blessing, to his Truth Social account on Friday night. The post was subsequently reshared by the White House on its official X account.

The episode comes after the term-limited Trump joked last week about his interest in being elected pope. Asked who could make a great pope, Trump replied, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.”

The post also came less than a week after Trump, who is not Catholic, attended Francis’s funeral at the Vatican.

Trump has publicly identified as a nondenominational Christian.

Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88. Cardinals will assemble at the Sistine Chapel starting Wednesday on the days-long process of electing a new pope.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on Trump’s post.

But New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan criticized the president for the post following Mass on Sunday in Rome. Asked whether he was offended, Dolan told reporters, “Well, it wasn’t good.”

Switching to Italian, Dolan called the post a "brutta figura” — a phrase meaning to leave an embarrassing impression.

The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of the state, accused Trump of mocking Catholics.

“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” they wrote. “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.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism, defended Trump, writing in a Saturday social media post that he’s “fine with people telling jokes.”

While a steady string of criticism was posted to various social media channels over the weekend, the White House defended the AI image.

“President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Jack Posobiec, a right-wing influencer and Trump ally who recently participated in a Catholic prayer event last month held by the president, also defended the post.

“I’m Catholic. We’ve all been making jokes about the upcoming pope selection all week,” he wrote on X. “It’s called a sense of humor.”

Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged.