Donald Trump has refrained from criticizing an AI-generated picture of him as the Pope, claiming that the “fake reports media” more than Catholics themselves are to blame.
The picture was shared by the US senator on his Truth Social system, where it was eventually removed from the recognized White House X accounts. The photo was posted during Pope Francis ‘ official nine-day mourning period, which included a white robe and king’s mitre, and it featured Trump in full papal attire. On Wednesday, the conclave to choose his son is scheduled to start.
Trump responded to a reporter’s question about Catholic backlash by saying,” Oh, I see. They didn’t consider jokes, you ask? You refer to the false news media, not Catholics. The Catholics adored it.
He continued, chuckling as he joked that his wife thought the picture was lovely and that perhaps it was AI. I may not be able to marry if I were the Pope, in fact! They are the false news outlets, not scammers.
When asked whether sharing such material from the standard White House bill undermined its legitimacy, Trump responded,” Give me a break. Someone did it for fun.
The picture sparked outrage among European commentators and Catholic organizations. The New York State Catholic Conference urged people to never make fun of us by mocking this picture, according to the New York State Catholic Conference. Matteo Renzi, former prime minister, called the article” shameful,” while La Repubblica in Italy accused Trump of “pathological megalomania.”
Trump’s supporters rallied to his defense despite the protest. The controversy was described by far-right critic and practicing Catholic Jack Posobiec as lacking in humor, saying,” We’ve all been making quips about the impending Pope choice all year.
Trump had previously joked that he wanted to be the bishop himself just a few weeks prior. That would be my top option. Perhaps his supporters, including Senator Lindsey Graham, also chimed in, calling Trump a “dark horses candidate.”
