Fans and critics alike know that President Donald Trump has a penchant for provocative social media posts, but a former top adviser in both Bush administrations feigned outrage in response to an AI-generated image Trump shared of himself as the head of the Catholic Church.
Neoconservative commentator Bill Kristol asked Vice President JD Vance, who was among the last people to visit the Vatican prior to Pope Francis’ death, whether he was “fine” with the president’s post.
The Catholic vice president didn’t disappoint, as The Hill reported:
“As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, wrote in a response to Kristol, who was an advocate for the 2003 Iraq invasion.
ADVERTISEMENTThe vice president’s defense of Trump comes as others expressed their disapproval of the post, which was also reposted by the official White House account.
“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 the Catholic Bishops of New York State wrote in a post on X.
Speculation about the late Pope Francis’ replacement has swirled in the days since his death, and some pundits have jokingly suggested that Trump should be considered for the role.
The fake image of the president in papal regalia only amplified the social media debate:
Trump would be the best Pope to ever live
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) May 3, 2025
Ya’ll need to calm down about the Pope Trump meme.
Most of us think it’s funny. pic.twitter.com/kYR0YtwHrU
— Danielle (@daniellemerrim1) May 3, 2025
The loudest people who have been mad about this photo in my feed are atheists.
So yeah, your opinion doesn’t really matter.
Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy.
The Pope picture is actually funny.
Calm down, folks. pic.twitter.com/Zi615JURG9
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 3, 2025
Fox News also reported on the backlash that followed Trump’s post:
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has shown respect to the Vatican.
“President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty,” Leavitt said.
ADVERTISEMENTEarlier this week, when asked about who he would want to see take over the Vatican, Trump quipped that he wanted to be pope.
“I’d like to be pope. That’d be my number one choice,” Trump said, before clarifying that he was joking and naming a possible option — Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Trump, who was raised as a Presbyterian, has said he now considers himself a nondenominational Christian.
Here’s some additional coverage of the situation:
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