President Donald Trump addressed the buzz surrounding an AI-generated image that depicted him dressed as the pope—a photo that was shared from the official White House account over the weekend.
When questioned about the image during a press conference in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump quickly dismissed criticism from a reporter who claimed, “Some Catholics were not so happy about the image of you looking like the Pope.”
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025
Trump didn’t hold back.
“Oh, I see—you mean they can’t take a joke,” he replied. “You don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media… The Catholics loved it.”
He clarified that he neither created the image nor authorized its posting.
“I had nothing to do with it,” Trump said. “Somebody made a picture of me dressed like the Pope and put it online. That wasn’t me. I don’t know who made it. Maybe it was AI, but I just saw it for the first time last night.”
🚨 LMAO…!!
REPORTER: Catholics are not happy you posted an image of you as the Pope.
TRUMP: “Ohh, I see. You mean, they can’t take a joke? You don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media. The Catholics loved it.”
“Maybe it was AI… my wife thought it was cute.… pic.twitter.com/zwKdvXzx0K
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 5, 2025
Trump added that First Lady Melania Trump found the image amusing.
“Actually, my wife thought it was cute,” he said with a smile. “She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?’ Although, I probably wouldn’t make a very good pope—marriage would be a deal-breaker.” His remark drew laughter from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was seated beside him. “To the best of my knowledge, popes aren’t big on getting married, are they?”
When pressed further about whether the image undermined the seriousness of the White House’s messaging, Trump brushed it off.
“Give me a break,” he said. “Somebody made it for fun—it’s harmless. You’ve got to be able to laugh a little, don’t you?”