Trump claims he has 'no idea' about AI image of him dressed as pope posted from his Truth Social account

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump claimed that he knew nothing about the AI-generated picture of him dressed in papal attire that was posted to his Truth Social account last weekend.

The picture was not only posted to Trump's Truth Social account but was also shared by the White House's official X (formerly Twitter) account just days after Pope Francis' death. The post caused a stir online as many thought Trump was disrespecting Catholics.

Donald Trump claims he knows nothing about AI-generated picture of him in papal attire

The POTUS told reporters on Monday, May 5, "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."

He added, "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, I just saw it last evening."

Trump attended Pope Francis' funeral on April 26 alongside other world leaders. A conclave to select a new pope will begin on May 7.

On Monday, while talking to reporters about the AI-generated image, Trump mentioned first lady Melania Trump and said, "Actually, my wife thought it was cute. She said, 'Isn't that nice?'"

He quipped, "Actually, I would not be able to be married, though. To the best of my knowledge, popes aren't big on being married, are they? Not that we know of."

The president went on to accuse the media of stirring up the controversy as he was asked about Catholic frustration with the AI-generated picture.

He told reporters while referring to the media, "They can't take a joke. The Catholics loved it."

On the image being shared from the official account of the White House on social media, Trump said, "Give me a break. Somebody did it in fun, it's fine, you have to have a little fun, don't you?"

JD Vance defended Donald Trump amid uproar over AI image

Vice President JD Vance quickly came to Donald Trump's defense as the AI-generated image showing the president dressed in papal attire caused an uproar, as per NewsNation.

"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," Vance wrote on X, responding to Bill Kristol, editor-at-large at The Bulwark, who asked if he was “fine with this disrespect and mocking of the holy father.”

Vance, who was baptized Catholic in 2019, made the post after New York’s Catholic bishops blasted Trump over the AI image.

The Catholic Bishops of New York State wrote in a post on X, "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. Do not mock us."

Meanwhile, Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA) also slammed Trump, saying, "As a Catholic, I take great offense to Donald Trump mocking Catholics."

He added, "I wish Trump would focus on lowering prices instead. The American economy had negative GDP growth last quarter. That’s what he should be focused on instead of making fun of Catholics."

Internet trolls Donald Trump for saying he has nothing to do with AI image of him dressed as pope

Several netizens mocked Donald Trump as he claimed that he had nothing to do with the AI-generated picture of him dressed as a pope that was shared on his Truth Social account.

One wrote, "This is his latest thing. Just deny he knows anything about it when a stunt goes wrong. He's a liar through and through," while another said, "He probably doesn’t because like everything else somebody does it for him."

A person quipped, "But I thought he had supernatural divine powers so how can he not know about something?" whereas someone else added, "Trump is only good at one thing-telling lies."

"I thought he knew more about being the Pope than the Pope himself," an individual jibed, while one more bluntly wrote, "What an embarrassment to the USA."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online