Trump rebuked for posting AI image of himself as pope: ‘pathological megalomania’
The image, shared during the official mourning period for Pope Francis, was described as shameful and offensive in Italy and the US
US President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope as the mourning of Pope Francis continues and just days before the conclave to elect his successor is set to begin. Trump’s action drew a rebuke from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York and among Italians.
The image, shared Friday night on Trump’s Truth Social site and later reposted by the White House on an official social media account, raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican, which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning following Francis’ death on April 21.
Catholic cardinals have been celebrating daily Masses in his memory and are due to open the conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday.
The death of a pope and election of another is a matter of utmost solemnity for Catholics, for whom the pope is Christ’s vicar on Earth. That is all the more true in Italy, where the papacy is held in high esteem even by non-religious Italians.
The image featuring Trump in a white cassock and pointed mitre, or bishop’s hat, was the topic of several questions during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing Saturday. Italian and Spanish news reports lamented its poor taste and said it was offensive, given that the period of official mourning was still under way.
Left-leaning former premier Matteo Renzi said the image was shameful. “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around,” Renzi wrote on social media.