Donald Trump has a knack for triggering the media, and his latest AI-assisted viral moment is no exception. After an image showing the 45th president dressed as the Pope surfaced on Truth Social and the White House X account, left-wing commentators and a handful of religious leaders flew into a frenzy, calling the post disrespectful and offensive.
But when asked about the backlash on Monday, Trump waved it off with trademark humor. “You mean they can’t take a joke? You don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the Fake News Media,” he told Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich. He added that he hadn’t made the image or posted it himself — and even claimed Melania thought it was “cute.”
“I just saw it last evening,” Trump said. “Actually, I would not be able to be married, though. That would be a lot. To the best of my knowledge popes aren’t getting married.”
The image shows Trump wearing a mitre and papal robes in an AI-generated depiction of him being chosen by the College of Cardinals following the recent death of Pope Francis. Critics, including clergy like New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan, expressed concern. “I hope he didn’t have anything to do with that,” Dolan said while in Rome.
Trump insists he didn’t — but even if he had, his critics would’ve found something else to rage about. The real issue, Trump suggested, is not the meme itself, but the double standards and selective outrage from the left and the press.
“Catholics loved it,” Trump claimed in the Oval Office, pointing the finger squarely at the media for blowing the image out of proportion.
He didn’t stop there. In typical Trump fashion, he pivoted to calling out hypocrisy, noting the left had little to say when Joe Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” or when antisemitic protests flared on elite campuses nationwide.
The Trump-as-Pope image, like many things in the Trump orbit, was clearly meant to troll — and it worked. Trump knows his audience, and his base responded with humor and pride. His critics, meanwhile, handed him another viral moment by reacting exactly as he hoped they would.
This isn’t the first time Trump has used visual symbolism to his advantage. From memes of him as Rocky Balboa to campaign videos stylized like Hollywood movie trailers, he continues to merge politics with digital culture in ways his opponents can’t seem to match — or handle.
Ultimately, the controversy says less about Trump than it does about the climate of political discourse. The former president’s response was both mocking and measured: “Calm down. Learn how to take a joke.”
In an era where digital content can launch a thousand think pieces, Trump continues to use memes not just for laughs, but as political weapons — and once again, his opponents played right into his hands.
