Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope after joking that he was his own ‘number one choice’ for the role.
Posted on his Truth Social platform just 11 days after the death of Pope Francis, it shows him in full regalia pointing one finger up.
It was then shared by the official White House and POTUS accounts, where it has been liked hundreds of thousands of times.
Most comments appeared to be critical, with one saying the post was ‘Inappropriate, insensitive, and disrespectful’.
Others called it ‘disgusting’, ‘disturbing’ and ‘offensive’, while one user wrote: ‘I regret voting for u (sic)’.
The US president was previously accused of making light of Pope Francis’ death by joking about becoming the next pontiff.
Asked by reporters on the White House lawn who he favoured to succeed the Argentinian, he said: ‘I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.’
He then said he didn’t have a preference but said New York’s cardinal Timothy Dolan would be ‘very good’.
President Trump was also heavily criticised for chewing gum during Pope Francis’ funeral and eschewing traditional black wear by wearing a blue suit.
Francis died of a stroke and heart failure at the age of 88 on Easter Monday.
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Despite appealing to the hard Christian right, Trump has rarely discusssed his religious views, claiming he was a Presbyterian in 2016 before describing himself as non-denominational four years later.
He previously came under fire for posting a bizarre AI-generated video of Gaza as a luxury holiday destination in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
He previously said he wanted to ’empty’ the strip of residents and redevelop it as a tourist zone, adding: ‘We’ll make it exciting’.
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