President Donald Trump has dismissed criticism over a viral AI-generated picture depicting him in papal apparel, insisting the backlash is being pushed by the “pretend information media,” not the Catholic neighborhood.
The digitally altered picture, which reveals Trump carrying a white papal gown, gold crucifix, and mitre, was posted on his Reality Social platform and the official White Home account on X on Saturday. The publish adopted Trump’s current remarks joking about turning into the following pope after Pope Francis’ loss of life on April 21.
The picture sparked combined reactions on-line, with some discovering it humorous and others calling it inappropriate. Addressing the controversy on Monday, Trump pushed again on claims that Catholics had been offended.
“Oh, I see. You imply they’ll’t take a joke? You don’t imply the Catholics, you imply the pretend information media. The Catholics beloved it,” Trump advised reporters on the White Home.
FOX NEWS: Some Catholics weren’t so joyful in regards to the picture of you wanting just like the PopeTRUMP: You imply they can not take a joke? You do not imply the Catholics, you imply the pretend information media. The Catholics beloved it. I had nothing to do with it. Possibly it was AI. pic.twitter.com/6dvyhGTLHQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) Might 5, 2025
He added that he had no function in sharing the picture: “Anyone made up an image of me dressed just like the Pope, and so they put it out on the web. That’s not me that did it. I do not know the place it got here from. Possibly it was AI, however I do know nothing about it. I simply noticed it final night.”
Trump stated First Woman Melania Trump discovered the picture amusing. He then joked, “Really, I wouldn’t be capable to be married, although… To the perfect of my information, popes aren’t massive on getting married, are they?”
Regardless of Trump’s declare that “Catholics beloved it,” some church leaders expressed disapproval. Bishop Robert Barron stated it “was a nasty joke that clearly landed very poorly and was seen as offensive by numerous Catholics.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, commented, “I hope he didn’t have something to do with that… It wasn’t good.”
Trump and Pope Francis have an extended historical past of disagreement, particularly on immigration. In a letter to US Catholic bishops earlier this 12 months, the pope criticized Trump’s mass deportation insurance policies as a “main disaster” that undermines human dignity. Their tensions date again to 2016, when Francis stated anybody who builds partitions as a substitute of bridges is “not Christian” – a comment broadly interpreted as a rebuke of Trump’s proposed border wall.
President Trump and the First Woman attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on April 26. It was Trump’s first abroad journey since returning to workplace in January. The Vatican has confirmed that the papal conclave to elect a brand new pope will start on Might 8.
