The president posted the photo Friday night with no caption and it has since sparked praise and backlash.
President Donald Trump posted a seemingly artificially enhanced photo of himself depicted as the pope on Truth Social Friday night and it has sparked dueling backlash and praise on social media.
Newsweek reached out to the Vatican via email Friday night for comment.
Pope Francis‘ death on April 21 marked a time of mourning for millions of Catholics around the world. Francis died from complications related to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
His funeral took place on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in front of heads of state, including the president and first lady Melania Trump, clergy and the general public. Francis‘ body was laid to rest in St. Mary Major, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome.
Francis‘ leadership in the Catholic Church sparked distinguishable change, mainly with his views on the LGBTQ+ community.
The president posted the picture at 10:29 p.m. Friday, without a caption or comment. The post immediately garnered positive and negative reaction online.
Comedian Terrance K. Williams posted on X, formerly Twitter, Friday night, „Pope Trump. Lol our President just posted this. He’s trolling because he knows the media is going to flip out. Love it Actually I love the sound of King Trump, the first of his name.
