US: Trump posts spoof picture of himself dressed as Pope

United States President, Donald Trump, has shared a spoof image of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform.

The picture, which was reposted by the White House on X on Saturday, comes days after Trump jokingly told reporters that he would like to become the next head of the Catholic Church.

The AI-generated image shows the President in full papal attire — white robes, a gold crucifix pendant, and the traditional mitre hat — with his right index finger pointed skyward in a saintly pose.

The post followed remarks made earlier in the week when Trump, responding to questions about the future of the papacy, said, “I’d like to be Pope, that would be my number one choice.”

The quip came ahead of the May 7 conclave, where cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to select a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

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Pressed further, Trump declined to name a specific choice for the role but mentioned a cleric from New York.

“There was a cardinal in New York who was very good,” he said, seemingly referring to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, a staunch theological conservative known for his opposition to abortion.

Trump’s comment and the spoof image have sparked wide discussion, particularly among America’s Catholic population, which represents roughly 20% of the country.

Exit polls from November showed that around 60% of Catholic voters supported Trump.

The President attended the funeral of Pope Francis last week, marking his first official foreign trip since returning to office. Francis, during his lifetime, was often seen as a vocal critic of Trump’s policies, especially on immigration.

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