WASHINGTON, D.C. – Days after joking that he’d “like to be pope,” United States President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated photo of himself dressed as Pope.
The photo, which first appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account, comes as cardinals are set to convene on May 7 to begin the process of electing the next pope (the conclave).
The White House also posted the AI-generated photo of President Trump depicted as the pope on Friday.
Converseer reports that Trump attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome last weekend, during which he also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Tuesday, days after returning from Francis’ funeral, Trump joked to reporters outside the White House that he’d “like to be pope,” adding, “That would be my number one choice.”
READ ALSO: Pics: Pope Francis dies at 88
According to NBC, Trump followed up by saying that he has “no preference” over who is ultimately selected.
Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with the Roman Catholic pontiff one day before his death.
Francis died of a stroke that ultimately led to irreversible heart failure, according to a death certificate issued by the Vatican.
The post of the AI-generated image sparked widespread social media response, with some users condemning the image, while others defended it as a joke.
Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, an outspoken Trump critic, criticised the post and said it “affirms how unserious and incapable [Trump] is.”
This is not the first time that the White House shared an AI-generated image of Trump.
