US President Donald Trump is facing a storm of criticism after sharing an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal attire, just days after the burial of Pope Francis.
Posted on X via the handle @WhiteHouse, the image shows Trump clad in full white papal robes, striking a solemn pose.
The post was left without a caption, but that didn’t stop it from going viral, racking up over 74 million views and igniting heated debate online.
Many users accused Trump of insensitivity and disrespect, given the recent passing and burial of Pope Francis.
Among the strongest reactions came from the New York State Catholic Conference, which quote-tweeted the image with a pointed message:
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. 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.”
The NYS Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Bishops of New York State.
There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. 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. https://t.co/ortxbkDlT5
— NYS Catholic Conference (@NYSCatholicConf) May 3, 2025
The backlash extended across the comment section.
@bettynft remarked: “You got mad a man didn’t wear a suit to speak to you, but you’re ok mocking the head of an entire religion less than two weeks after he died?”
Adetutu Balogun weighed in: “This is distasteful and very disrespectful for Catholics!”
@NepusPox added: “As President of the United States, posting a picture of himself as Pope a few days after the Pope’s death is neither funny, nor does it present statesmanship and respectful behavior.”
Still, not everyone took issue with the post.
One user responded: “Only those who worship the pope are offended. Worshipping the pope is blasphemy. Him posting this picture is no different than any other costume.”
The post comes hot on the heels of a similar online frenzy in Kenya, where AI-generated images of veteran politician Raila Odinga dressed in papal garments had social media users in stitches.
From white cassocks to zucchettos and cheeky captions like “Raila for Pope!”, the posts flooded timelines with typical Kenyan wit.
However, the humour didn’t sit well with everyone. Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris called out the trend:
“I’ve seen a lot of people on social media—those with no respect—painting a picture of a man who lived with God and led two billion people, using Raila’s image in papal clothes. That’s so disrespectful,” she said.