President Donald Trump recently took to social media to share an AI-generated image of himself as "Pope Don John The First," sparking a wave of reactions.
This post came in the wake of the passing of 88-year-old Pope Francis, whose funeral Trump attended last Saturday. When questioned about the potential successor to Pope Francis, Trump humorously suggested that he should assume the role.
According to Mediaite, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also weighed in, urging Catholics and cardinals to maintain an open mind regarding the next pontiff. Trump's post punctuated a week during which he led a National Prayer Service event at the White House, using the image as a playful jab in his ongoing "Trump-For-Pope" narrative.
The image, shared late Friday night on Trump's Truth Social account, was posted without any accompanying caption, yet it managed to elicit a range of reactions.
Some of his followers expressed disapproval, with one evangelical Christian stating, "Im an evangelical Christian, never been catholic but I really wish you hadnt shared this (your interview suggestion at being Pope was a bit cringy in itself) but this is borderline sacrilegious no matter what your beliefs. Why must we fuel the fake news fires? Another follower, identifying as a Catholic and a supporter of Trump's "MAGA" movement, commented, With all due respect I dont find this funny at all. Whats the point? Totally unnecessary. And Im speaking as a maga supporter, a true follower and of course and more important, as a Catholic. Instead of uniting with this mockery youre dividing.
Reactions on X, formerly known as Twitter, were similarly candid. Despite the controversy, neither of the two Corinthians were available for comment. The incident highlights the ongoing debate over the intersection of faith, politics, and social media in contemporary discourse.
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