Even President Donald Trump‘s staunchly loyal MAGA base appeared to turn against the Republican president for posting an AI-generated image of himself as pope.
Trump shared the AI-generated image in a Friday night Truth Social post after telling reporters that he “would like to be Pope.” He quipped that he was his own “No. 1 choice” to replace the late Pope Francis. However, some MAGA believers felt that not even Trump is above the papacy.
“This is worse than trolling. You’re going to lose a lot of Catholic support over stunts like this,” wrote an X commentator who described themself as a Catholic and a conservative.
ADVERTISEMENT
Another commentator on X added: “I love Trump but find his Pope meme disrespectful and insulting. God will not be mocked. Not a wise decision. That said I pray for him. I pray for America.”
Trump’s former White House communications director and practicing Catholic, Anthony Scaramucci, also slammed the president’s “stupidity.
“Yes I get. You are trolling and trying to trigger all of us. Especially us Catholics,” Scaramucci wrote. “But the arrogance and general stupidity and the disgrace that you represent will blow back on all of you.”
Vice President JD Vance appeared to brush off the “joke” with a spurious message about “stupid wars.”
“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,” he wrote.
Another commentator on X added: “Mr. President—please cease this offensive and sacrilegious behavior,” with others questioning how such a “satire” would play if the shoe were on the other foot.
“This is not funny. This is not satire. This is EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL towards catholics. Shows poor judgement,” tweeted X user Juan Santana. “Would you do a similar joke with other religions’ leaders? Shocked. I was hoping both @realDonaldTrump and @WhiteHouse had been hacked, but it seems not.”
Yet other MAGA Catholics appeared to double down on their support.
“Nope!!! Didn’t lose me!!! I LOVE the humor and trolling @potus does of all the Libtards and Democrats!!!!” wrote a commentator.
Another X commentator added, “It’s a joke. It is not even an offensive joke, and I’m Catholic.”
