The White House social media accounts shared a photo of Trump as the pope, days after he jokingly nominated himself for the job
President Donald Trump says he didn’t have anything to do with the AI-generated image of him as the pope, but his wife, first lady Melania Trump, is a fan.
While speaking with reporters on Monday, May 5, the president was asked about the image, which was posted to his official @potus social media accounts on Friday, May 2. The image features Trump dressed in white and gold papal regalia and a large cross necklace, with one finger pointed upward.
Trump seemed to admire the image but said he had “nothing to do with it.”
“I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI,” he mused. “But I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”
“The Catholics loved it,” he noted, adding that, more importantly, “My wife thought it was cute. She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?’ “
Melania is just the second Catholic first lady in U.S. history, following Jackie Kennedy. She and the president attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday, April 26, which coincided with her 55th birthday.
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According to multiple sources, the first lady is religious in private and was “honored” to attend the papal funeral, regardless of its timing.
“Melania is an open-minded person with respect for all different types of people and their opinions. They shared a love for children and their welfare,” a family source told PEOPLE. “[The pope’s funeral] is a significant event for her, a life experience few are able to share.”
The image of the president as the pope comes days after Trump nominated himself to succeed Pope Francis. When asked by reporters on April 29, he mused for a moment before answering.
