In the wake of Pope Francis‘s death, U.S. President Donald Trump jokingly told reporters outside of the White House, “I’d like to be Pope.” MAGA supporters went wild over the idea, including U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who wrote on X: “excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope.”
Trump is not a Roman Catholic — still a prerequisite for the job –but Vice President JD Vance is (he converted in 2019) and so his Secretary of State and now National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.
I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!
The first Pope-U.S. President combination has… pic.twitter.com/MM9vE5Uvzb
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 29, 2025
After Trump announced on Thursday that he had moved former Rep. Mike Waltz from National Security Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (adding the NSA responsibilities to Rubio’s portfolio), Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett reported: “I believe Marco Rubio is now: Secretary of State, National Security Adviser, Acting USAID admin, Acting archivist.”
I think he could take on a bit more.
If only there was a job opening for a devout Catholic… https://t.co/CbOZNZ1e5o
— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 1, 2025
Vance — who visited Pope Francis the day before his death — replied to Everett: “I think he could take on a bit more. If only there was a job opening for a devout Catholic…” U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) replied with a laughing crying emoji.
Note: The real process of selecting Pope Francis’s successor involves a papal conclave, a private election held in the Sistine Chapel where cardinals vote on who will sere as the next head of the Catholic Church. The process will begin on Tuesday, May 7.