WASHINGTON – The White House on Friday posted an image of President Donald Trump dressed as the pope on X, sparking both backlash and glee on social media.
The picture comes after Trump jokingly told reporters earlier this week that he’d like to be the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church following Pope Francis’ death. “That would be my number one choice,” he said at the time.
The image shows Trump dressed in a white garment wearing a pope’s hat and a necklace with a cross hanging around his neck. He is sitting in a chair with his index finger pointed upwards.
pic.twitter.com/x2HrR939tn
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025
The image was also shared on Trump’s Truth Social and Instagram accounts on Friday.
The Republicans Against Trump account shared the photo on X with the caption, “Donald Trump just posted a photo of himself as the Pope. It’s full-on lunacy at this point.”
Another user wrote on X, “I’m not American. I’m not even a Catholic. But as a human being I am beyond offended by this image, and that someone in The White House actually CHOSE to repost this. Grow up!”
But it generated some laughs online.
“Trump!! “ one user wrote on X with a laughing emoji. “wicked.”
Francis died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, April 21. He suffered from a stroke and heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released last week, Reuters reported. Trump later attended his funeral.
The process of selecting a new pope involves a papal conclave, a private election held behind closed doors of Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel where 135 cardinals vote on who will serve as the next the head of the Catholic Church. The papal conclave is set for May 7.
Contributing: Mike Snider, Anthony Robledo, and John Bacon, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House posts image of Trump dressed as the pope
