President Donald Trump addressed on May 5 the image of him dressed as the pope shared on social media, laughing it off amid questions of Catholic offense at the image.
“I had nothing to do with it. Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it, I have no idea where it came from, maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it, I just saw it last evening,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office, USA TODAY reported.
On May 2, a scuffle started over the apparent artificial intelligence-created image shared by the White House and Trump’s official social media accounts.
Less than two weeks after Pope Francis died, at about 10:30 p.m. May 2, 2025, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social what appears to be an artificial intelligence rendering of Trump as pope, with the traditional white vestments, white and gold mitre, and a large gold crucifix around his neck.
It comes as cardinals from around the world head to the Vatican to select the next pope. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, and Trump attended the funeral along with First Lady Melania Trump on April 26, which was Melania Trump’s 55th birthday.
“They can’t take a joke,” Trump said of the media. “The Catholic’s (sic) loved it.”
On May 5, Trump told reporters he “had nothing to do with it.”
Despite Trump’s nonchalance about the photo, some leaders in the Catholic church did not appreciate the image.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the Catholic Bishops of New York State wrote on X. “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.”
Francis had also been critical of the Trump administration before his passing, saying the immigration crackdown was a “disgrace,” according to Reuters, in one example.
Talking to reporters about the image, Trump brought up First Lady Melania Trump and said, “Actually, my wife thought it was cute. She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?'”
“Actually, I would not be able to be married, though,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge, popes aren’t big on being married, are they? Not that we know of.”
Trump is not a Catholic. He used to identify as a Presbyterian, but in 2020 he told Religion News Service he began considering himself a non-denominational Christian.
Melania Trump, however, made news in 2017 when she met Francis and revealed she is Catholic when asking the pontiff to bless her rosary beads. The Trumps married in January 2005 at Bethesda-By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida, near his private club, Mar-a-Lago. Over the years, the president and his wife have attended Easter services there.
The papal conclave is set to begin on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The cardinals will convene for Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for the wisdom needed to choose the next pope.
There is no deadline to choose the next pope, but the longest conclave in modern history lasted five days in 1903.
When a new pope is elected by receiving two-thirds of the votes and accepting the position, white smoke will billow from the Sistine Chapel, signaling a new pope.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, John Bacon, Antonio Fins, USA TODAY Network
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
‘They can’t take a joke’: Trump defends viral AI pope photo. When does conclave start? – The Palm Beach Post
