President Trump called Leo’s election “such an honor for our country” and wished the pope well in his new role.
Days before Leo’s election — during the period of mourning following Frances’ passing — Trump shared an AI generated photo of himself dressed in a pope’s robe, an act that sparked significant backlash from religious and political figures.
The photo was later shared by The White House official social media account.
Trump captioned the post on Truth Social, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice.”
He added he didn’t actually have preference. “I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens,” referring to Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York.
Posting on his X profile
