President Trump shared an AI-generated photograph of himself dressed because the pope simply days after telling reporters that he’d “wish to be pope.”
The picture – which Mr. Trump first posted on his social media platform Truth Social – was additionally shared by the White Home’s official social media account on Friday. It comes as cardinals from around the globe are set to collect in Vatican Metropolis to decide on Pope Francis‘ successor because the chief of the Catholic Church.
The picture exhibits Mr. Trump seated in an ornate chair, wearing white papal vestments and headdress, with a finger raised.
Mr. Trump, who just isn’t Catholic, joked to reporters exterior the White Home on Tuesday that he want to succeed Francis, who died at 88 final month.
“I might wish to be pope. That will be my No. 1 selection,” he mentioned.
The president famous that he truly had no desire, including, “I need to say, now we have a cardinal that occurs to be out of a spot referred to as New York who’s excellent, so we’ll see what occurs.”
Mr. Trump was referring to Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York. Whereas there has by no means been a pope from the U.S., Francis was the primary from the Americas.
In response to the AI-generated photograph, Dolan said Sunday that it “wasn’t good.”
“I hope he did not have something to do with it,” he informed CBS News New York.
Francis died of a stroke that finally led to irreversible coronary heart failure, based on a demise certificates issued by the Vatican.
Mr. Trump and first woman Melania Trump have been among the dignitaries who attended Francis’ funeral last week. Whereas there, Mr. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Days later, Ukrainian and U.S. officers signed a joint financial funding deal on Wednesday that features granting the U.S. entry to Ukrainian uncommon earth minerals.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Pictures
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, based on Reuters, declined to touch upon the picture shared by Mr. Trump throughout a briefing with journalists concerning the technique of electing a brand new pope, which begins on May 7. Some 133 cardinals will select the following pope, with no clear frontrunner in sight.
The AI-generated picture sparked backlash from some on social media, whereas others defended it as a joke.
Former Republican Nationwide Committee chairman Michael Steele, an outspoken critic of the president, criticized the publish and said it “affirms how unserious and incapable [Mr. Trump] is.”
The New York State Catholic Convention accused Trump of mockery.
“There may be nothing intelligent or humorous about this picture, Mr. President. We simply buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a brand new successor of St. Peter. Don’t mock us,” they wrote on X.
Debbie Macchia, 60, a supporter of the president exterior his golf membership in West Palm Seashore, Florida on Saturday morning, informed Reuters he was “clearly joking.”
“However I would not wish to see them do something sacrilegious with the pope, or something,” she mentioned.
CBS News has reached out to the USA Convention of Catholic Bishops for remark.
This isn’t the primary time Mr. Trump or the White Home has shared an AI-generated photograph of the president.
In mid-February, their official social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of Mr. Trump carrying a crown and captioned “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
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