Trump shares AI-generated image of himself as pope amid Vatican transition

President Trump’s sharing of an AI-generated image depicting himself as pope comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Catholic Church, as it prepares for the papal conclave following Pope Francis’s death. This provocative social media post follows Trump’s recent joke about wanting to be pope himself and represents another instance of the president using AI-generated imagery on his Truth Social platform to blur the lines between reality and fiction.

The big picture: Trump shared an AI-generated image portraying himself as the pope on Truth Social without providing any explanation or context for the post.

• The image appeared Friday evening on Trump’s official account as the Vatican prepares for its conclave to select a new pope following Pope Francis’s death on April 21.
• The source of the AI-generated image remains unclear, but its timing is significant with the papal conclave set to begin on May 7.

What they’re saying: Trump had previously made comments suggesting he would like to be the next pope during remarks to reporters.

• “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on April 29, before adding more seriously that he had “no preference” but noted Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was “very good.”
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) responded to Trump’s pope comment on X, writing: “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!”

Context: This is not Trump’s first foray into sharing AI-generated imagery on his social media platform.

• Last August, Trump posted a series of AI-generated images falsely claiming that Taylor Swift had endorsed him for president.
• Trump, who describes himself as a “non-denominational Christian” despite being confirmed in a Presbyterian church as a child, recently established a White House Religious Liberty Commission.

Behind the numbers: The upcoming Vatican conclave will include 133 Cardinal electors who will select the next leader of the Catholic Church.