Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy—this time with artificial intelligence. On Friday, Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope, triggering a wave of criticism across religious and political circles.
The image, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, shows him solemnly seated in an ornate papal chair, wearing traditional white vestments and a headdress, with his right forefinger raised in a blessing-like gesture. This post comes just days after he attended Pope Francis’s funeral and made a tongue-in-cheek remark about wanting to become the next pope.
Trump, who is not a practicing Catholic and has no regular church attendance, captioned the post with apparent irony, but the response from the public—and some prominent figures—was anything but amused.
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi slammed the post on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “a shameful insult to believers and religious institutions.” Renzi accused Trump of mocking sacred traditions while global economic concerns, including a struggling U.S. dollar, continue to mount.
The backlash wasn’t limited to Italy. Catholic leaders in the United States also voiced their discontent. The New York State Catholic Bishops issued a firm response on X: “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just laid our beloved Pope Francis to rest, and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave. Do not mock us.”
The Vatican has remained tight-lipped, with spokesman Matteo Bruni declining to comment during a press briefing ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope, scheduled to begin May 7.
Adding to the buzz, Trump had jokingly nominated himself for pope earlier in the week during a rally, before suggesting New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan—who is not currently on the list of papal candidates. Interestingly, American Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark is one of the few U.S. figures under serious consideration, although the Catholic Church has never had a pope from the United States.
This isn’t Trump’s first brush with AI-generated grandeur. In February, he posted another AI image portraying himself as a crowned king, celebrating the rollback of New York City’s congestion pricing plan. That image, too, raised eyebrows but didn’t spark the same level of religious outrage.
Supporters, however, defended Trump. Debbie Macchia, a 60-year-old Jewish supporter who waited outside his West Palm Beach golf club, said, “He was clearly joking. But I wouldn’t want anyone mocking the pope or religion, no matter who they are.”
As the world prepares for a new Catholic leader, Trump’s AI antics remind us once again how powerful, and controversial, digital images can be—especially when shared by public figures with global influence.
