Donald Trump has once again posted an AI-generated image—this time, portraying himself dressed as the pope.
The 78-year-old former president shared the digitally created image on his Truth Social platform on Friday, May 2. The post came shortly after he jokingly suggested he should replace the late Pope Francis. The photo was posted 11 days after the pope passed away from a stroke at the age of 88, and just six days after Trump attended the funeral at the Vatican.
The image, which featured no caption, shows Trump seated with a serious expression, holding up one finger, and dressed in white and gold papal robes, complete with a large cross necklace.
Once posted, the photo quickly spread across other social media platforms, drawing swift backlash.
A viral post from the “Republicans Against Trump” account on X (formerly Twitter) shared the altered image and commented, “It’s full-on lunacy at this point.”
Democratic political commentator Harry Sisson also weighed in, criticizing Trump for prioritizing social media antics over real-world issues like inflation. “Trump just posted an AI image of himself as the Pope. Instead of working to bring down costs, he’s doing this instead,” Sisson wrote. “Nice job, MAGA! You elected a man-child.”
Some users focused on the timing of the post, given that it was made less than two weeks after Pope Francis’ death. X user @MissSassbox condemned the move as tone-deaf and offensive.
“This is literally the President of the United States of America while the Vatican is still grieving the loss of Pope Francis and trying to pick his successor,” the user wrote. “It’s not even funny at this point, it’s actually disrespectful and I’m not even Catholic.”
Others, however, came to Trump’s defense. Some users argued that the image was “clearly a joke” and accused critics of overreacting and “taking the bait.”
Earlier in the week, Trump had made headlines after joking with reporters about his ideal choice to replace Pope Francis. While speaking on the White House lawn, he briefly paused before smiling and saying, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.” He later clarified that he had “no preference” for the upcoming conclave, scheduled to begin May 7.
This isn’t Trump’s first time stirring controversy with AI content. Back in February, he shared a fake AI video depicting the war-torn Gaza Strip as a luxury resort.
The video, released not long after Trump floated the idea of the U.S. “taking over” Gaza and transforming it into something “magnificent,” featured a glitzy “Trump Gaza” tower, an AI-generated version of Elon Musk, a massive golden Trump statue, and small gold Trump figurines scattered throughout.
The footage was set to an upbeat track with a chorus that sang: “No more tunnels, no more fear / Trump Gaza is finally here!”