PoliticsDonald Trump Issues 2-Word Response to Question After Posting AI-Generated Image of Himself as the Pope
Donald Trump claimed the Catholic community found his pope image funny.
May 8 2025, Published 7:52 p.m. ET
Donald Trump’s, 78, AI-generated image of himself as the pope from May 2, is still a topic of discussion after the death of Pope Francis, 88, who passed on April 21, due to a stroke and heart failure.
In a press appearance from Monday, May 5, shared to X, the president was asked by a reporter if he “regrets” sharing the image of himself as the pope on Truth Social.
Trump bluntly responded, “What’s next?”
Critics Call Donald Trump 'Foolish' for AI Pope Photo
Critics called the president's AI pope photo an 'embarrassment.'
After a clip of his short remark went viral online, critics flooded the comments section to ridicule the president for being an “embarrassment.”
“Did the next reporter ask the same question? Because they should not be letting him get away with that and keep asking stuff he wants to ignore,” wrote one.
“A stupid man with a stupid-looking mouth saying stupid s---... just stupid,” said another.
“Dude wishes MAGA was a religion,” a third quipped.
“Thanks to the reporter for reminding him of his foolishness,” noted a fourth.
Donald Trump Denies He Created AI-Generated Pope Photo
Donald Trump claimed he knew nothing about the AI pope picture until after it was posted online.
After the photo circulated the internet, the president denied he ever posted the image.
“They can’t take a joke; you don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media,” Trump claimed to a reporter who asked him about the controversial picture.
Donald Trump Claims the Catholics 'Loved' His Fake Pope Photo
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Donald Trump claimed his wife, Melania Trump, found his pope photo 'cute.'
“The Catholics loved it,” the president continued. “I had nothing to do with it; somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope, and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it; I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI. But I know nothing about it.”
Trump shared that First Lady Melania Trump was even impressed by the image. “I just saw it last evening. Actually, my wife thought it was cute. She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?’ Somebody did it in fun; it’s fine,” he noted as he laughed.
Bill O'Reilly Calls Donald Trump's Fake Pope Photo 'Dopey'
Conservative Bill O'Reilly called the president's pope photo 'dopey.'
As OK! reported, on the same day he denied being part of the AI-generated image, conservative Bill O’Reilly told a news outlet that the president’s photo was “just dopey,” adding, “There was no excuse for that… The guy just died, you know?”
Bill O'Reilly said the president's image of himself as the pope was 'beyond the pale.'
O’Reilly emphasized how disrespectful he thought the image was, saying it was “beyond the pale.”
He continued, “Some people do think it’s funny, but he’s the president. I would’ve advised against it had I been consulted, which I was not. I didn’t think it was smart because it offended a lot of elderly Catholics who voted for him.”
