U.S. President Donald Trump sparked global attention on Saturday after posting an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope on his social media platform, Truth Social. The digitally altered image quickly gained traction, amassing over 12,000 reactions within hours.
In a surprising twist, the White House’s official X (formerly Twitter) account reposted the image, fueling speculation and humour online.
The post comes just weeks after the death of Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), who passed away on April 21, following a prolonged illness. The Vatican has announced that the papal conclave to elect his successor will commence on May 7.
According to the rules of the Catholic Church, only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. Out of a total of 252 cardinals, 135 are expected to participate in the upcoming election.
Last week, Trump made headlines again when he quipped to a group of reporters, “I would like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.” When asked to elaborate, he added with a grin that he had “no preference,” but noted that an American cardinal from New York could be a strong candidate for the role.
While Trump’s remarks were clearly tongue-in-cheek, they add a surreal twist to an already momentous moment for the Catholic Church.