Trump Posts Viral AI Pope Image as Vatican Seeks New Pontiff

Donald Trump just can't resist the spotlight—even when it comes with a papal hat. On Friday, Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope on Truth Social, and, as you might expect, the internet went wild. This viral post comes just days after Trump attended the funeral of the late Pope Francis in Rome, right as the Vatican is on the hunt for its next leader. Looks like Trump is jokingly tossing his name in the holy ring—because apparently, running for president wasn’t enough of a challenge.

The post drew reactions that were all over the map. Some people found it hilarious, while others thought it was downright offensive. Columnist Dustan Grage brushed off the critics, suggesting that most of them were atheists whose opinions "didn’t matter." Grage added, "Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy. The Pope picture is actually funny. Calm down, folks." Clearly, not everyone is ready to excommunicate Trump from meme culture.

On the flip side, Democratic activist Harry Sisson accused Trump’s supporters of electing a "man-child"—because nothing says modern discourse quite like name-calling on social media.

Earlier this week, when asked who should take the Vatican’s top job, Trump quipped, "I’d like to be pope. That’d be my number one choice," before clarifying that he was joking and naming Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan as a real contender. For the record, Trump was raised Presbyterian, though he now describes himself as a nondenominational Christian. Pope or not, the man sure knows how to keep us guessing.

The process to elect the next pope is a far cry from U.S. elections—less about campaigning and more about prayer and reflection. Cardinal Dolan recalls a Franciscan preacher telling the cardinals, "The Holy Spirit has already chosen the next pope. Your job is to find out who it is." Maybe Trump should try that approach next time he wants a new title.

As for the actual contenders, names like Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Peter Erdo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Cardinal Raymond Burke, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi are all in the mix. Sorry, no signs yet of a red MAGA miter in Vatican City.