The Catholic Bishop of New York State expressed dissatisfaction with X after Donald Trump shared his AI photos of himself wearing the pope.
The Bishop of New York State wrote through its official X Accounty, “There is nothing clever or interesting about this image, Mr. President. We just bury our beloved Pope Francis and the Cardinals are about to enter a solemn meeting to elect St. Peter’s new successor. Don’t laugh at us.”
Recall that U.S. President Donald Trump released an AI-generated photo showing the pope this week before the Cardinals gathered to select 1.4 billion new leaders of the Catholic Church, who “wanted to be the pope” after a few days of his joke.
Trump, who is not a Catholic, posted an image on his truth social platform late Friday, May 2, less than a week after Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, attended the funeral.
The White House then reposted the photos on its official X account.
The image shows a trump sitting on a chair with white papal costume and headdress on it, with the finger raised with the right hand.
The photo sparked instant anger against X, including from a group of Republicans who opposed Trump, which described itself as “conservative Republicans who support Trump and Trumpism in a fight against Trump and Trumpism.”
The group reposted the image, calling it “a blatant insult to Catholics and a ridicule of faith.”
Before posting the AI photos, Trump joked on Tuesday, April 29 that he would be his first choice for becoming the pope, before adding that New York has a “very good” candidate, Timothy Dolan.
