Vance defends Trump's post depicting himself as pope amid criticism
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President Trump and Vice President JD Vance arrive for a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on April 14. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance defended President Trump for sharing a photo of himself as the pope, writing in a Saturday social media post he's "fine with people telling jokes."
The big picture: While Vance, a Catholic, brushed off the seemingly AI-generated photo of the president in papal vestments, others condemned the controversial image.
- "As a general rule, I'm fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen," wrote Vance in response to a question from commentator Bill Kristol on whether he was "fine with this disrespect and mocking of the Holy Father."
The president shared the head-turning image on his Truth Social Friday night after telling reporters earlier in the week that he would "like to be pope."
- The official White House account reposted the image on X.
Driving the news: The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, rebuked the post in a Saturday post shared to X, saying, "There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President."
- "We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter," the post read. "Do not mock us."
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Even Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York — whom Trump has floated as his choice to be the next pope — told reporters in Rome the post "wasn't good."
- "I hope he didn't have anything to do with that," Dolan said.
Zoom out: The conclave to elect the late Pope Francis' successor begins May 7.
- Francis died on April 21 after a historic tenure that pushed the Church into more progressive territory.
- Meeting with Vance was one of Francis' final acts before his death, despite his open criticism of some of the administration's policies, notably on immigration.
- Trump and first lady Melania Trump joined other world leaders at the Vatican for Francis' funeral last month.
Zoom in: The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and writer, wrote in a post shared to X Saturday that he found Trump's post "deeply offensive" but "will presume that Mr. Trump meant this light-heartedly."
- However, he noted, "imagine the incandescent outrage, the swift condemnation, and the individual and joint protests from the US bishops if this had been done by Joe Biden or Barack Obama."
Yes, but: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pushed the joke further, writing on X Saturday that "there is very positive reception and strong momentum for President Trump to be the next Pope."
- MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec wrote on X, "I'm Catholic. We've all been making jokes about the upcoming Pope selection all week."
- "It's called a sense of humor," he added.
Between the lines: Trump has signed several executive orders centered around faith, such as one on Thursday that established a presidential commission on religious liberty.
- But some of his sweeping policies — even those related to religion, such as his task force to root out "anti-Christian bias" — have been met with condemnation from faith leaders.
Go deeper: Trump's immigration orders rebuked by Christian leaders
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
