Trump posts AI-generated photo of himself dressed as the pope-OxBig News Network

The White House posted an AI-generated photo of President Donald Trump depicted as the pope on Friday, days after he joked that he’d “like to be pope.”

The image — which first appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account — comes as cardinals are set to convene on May 7 to begin the process for electing the next pope.

Trump attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome last weekend, during which he also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Tuesday, days after returning from Francis’ funeral, Trump joked to reporters outside the White House that he’d “like to be pope,” adding, “that would be my number one choice.”

He followed up by saying that he has “no preference” over who is ultimately selected.

Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with Francis one day before his death.

Francis died of a stroke that ultimately led to irreversible heart failure, according to a death certificate issued by the Vatican.

The post of the AI-generated image sparked widespread social media response, with some users condemning the image, while others defended it as a joke.

Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, an outspoken Trump critic, criticized the post and said it “affirms how unserious and incapable [Trump] is.”