Trump Posts Hilarious Pope Meme, Leftists Immediately Melt Down [WATCH]

President Donald Trump sparked another viral moment this week, posting a digitally altered image of himself dressed as the pope on Truth Social, just days after returning from Rome, where he attended the funeral of the late Pope Francis.

The image, which appeared Friday, has since drawn a wave of both humor and criticism online, as speculation swirls around who will succeed Francis as the next head of the Catholic Church.

The president, now over 100 days into his second term, appeared to be jokingly inserting himself into the conversation surrounding the ongoing papal transition.

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His Truth Social post comes less than a week after he traveled to the Vatican for the funeral service, where world leaders and religious figures gathered to honor Pope Francis.

Reactions to Trump’s post were mixed. Some online users viewed it as lighthearted satire, while others found it offensive.

Among those weighing in was Townhall columnist Dustan Grage, who dismissed the criticism, suggesting that most of those offended were not religious themselves.

“Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy. The Pope picture is actually funny. Calm down, folks,” Grage wrote in response to the backlash.

The loudest people who have been mad about this photo in my feed are atheists.

So yeah, your opinion doesn’t really matter.

Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy.

The Pope picture is actually funny.

Calm down, folks. pic.twitter.com/Zi615JURG9

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 3, 2025

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On the other side, progressive influencer Harry Sisson responded by calling Trump a “man-child” and criticized the MAGA movement for supporting him.

Trump just posted an AI image of himself as the Pope. Instead of working to bring down costs, he’s doing this instead.

Nice job, MAGA! You elected a man-child. pic.twitter.com/iXQz41AcDq

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) May 3, 2025

The post quickly became a flashpoint among both Trump supporters and opponents on social media.

The viral image followed comments Trump made earlier in the week when he was asked who he would like to see become the next pope.

Trump initially joked, “I’d like to be pope. That’d be my number one choice,” before clarifying he was not serious and offering a more conventional answer: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.

Cardinal Dolan, a prominent American prelate who has served as the Archbishop of New York since 2009, is among the over 100 cardinal electors eligible to participate in the upcoming conclave at the Vatican.

While Trump mentioned Dolan in jest, the cardinal remains a respected figure within the Church, though not considered a front-runner for the papacy.

Trump has previously identified as Presbyterian but has since said he now considers himself a nondenominational Christian.

The formal selection process to determine the next pope is set to begin on May 7, when eligible cardinals will convene at the Vatican for the conclave.

Unlike political elections, the process is rooted in prayer and spiritual discernment.

Campaigning is not permitted, and deliberations take place in secret.

Speaking to Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on The Story, Cardinal Dolan described the process of papal selection.

“Last time in 2013, when we had the opening prayer—because prayer is extraordinarily important—we had a reflection given by a wonderful Franciscan preacher,” Dolan recalled.

“He said, ‘Eminences, you’re all scared because you have a tough job to elect the next pope. … Let me put your mind at ease. It’s easy. The Holy Spirit has already chosen the next pope. Your job is to find out who it is.’”

As the conclave approaches, speculation continues to grow over which cardinal may be chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Among the frequently mentioned contenders are Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines; Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo; Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; American Cardinal Raymond Burke; and Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.

The Vatican has not provided a timeline for the election, but the outcome will determine the direction of the Church at a time of significant global and cultural challenges.

While Trump’s viral post may have been intended as humor, it underscores his ability to draw attention and dominate online discourse—even in matters as solemn as the selection of a new pope.

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