Trump draws ire after he’s seen texting and smiling at Pope Francis’ funeral: ‘Bringing humiliation’

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN: President Donald Trump found himself at the center of controversy during Pope Francis' funeral in Italy as he was seen using his phone during the service and, even more jarringly, smiling amid the grieving crowd. 

Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania Trump, appeared to miss the tone of the somber event, drawing sharp criticism for his demeanor.

Donald Trump sparks outrage for texting during Pope Francis’ funeral

First things first, Donald Trump's choice of attire raised a lot of eyebrows. Amid a sea of traditional black suits, the president stood out in a dark blue suit, making him an unmissable presence in all the wrong ways.

Adding to the uproar, Trump was spotted texting while seated among the world leaders.

"And Trump with his blue suit consulting his phone during the funeral ceremony, what do you think? What a disgrace. Trump on the phone during funeral of Pope Francis. He has no respect for anyone. Out of dress code as well in that bright blue suit.?" one person on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote.

Another user pointed out, "Oh. Donald Trump was texting during the funeral for Pope Francis too? But do go on about Biden looking at his watch at a dignified transfer ceremony, MAGA. It’s not like Donald even went to the one for the troops who died in Lithuania."

Another social media user quipped, "MAGA this is your president. An absolute international disgrace. Asleep at the Pope’s funeral after earlier chewing gum and playing with his phone. Not to mention dress code was black suit. Trump is bringing generational humiliation to the United States."

An individual wrote, "The most disrespectful President in American history, playing with his cellphone on the pope's funeral !!!!!"

"Ahh okay, so MAGA goes all nuts over Biden checking his watch at a Dignified Transfer but they drool over Trump’s blue suit while he checks his phone at the Pope’s Funeral. Makes perfect sense," a read.

While a handful of defenders pointed out that, given Trump's position, he could have been receiving urgent, time-sensitive updates, others weren’t buying it.

Instead, the texting sparked a round of memes and mock theories about what might have been so important.

"I’ve gotta assume he was talking about Ukraine invasion plans on Signal with Putin and Hegseth," one person joked, referencing the recent scandal where high-profile officials of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, used Signal, an encrypted messaging app, for high-level military discussions, and even added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic to the chat, breaching protocol.

The critiques kept coming, with another person speculating about Trump’s likely activity online.

"He was busy praising himself and attacking Obama over on Trash Social," they wrote as per Irish Star, referencing Trump's own platform, Truth Social.

Donald Trump caught smiling at Pope Francis' funeral

Donald Trump’s relationship with Pope Francis during his presidency was marked by tension, with the pope often voicing more liberal views on immigration, climate change, and economic equality.

Despite their history, Trump agreed to attend the funeral “out of respect", though many felt his behavior left much to be desired.

As per Fox8Live, during the service, the president and Melania held hands at times, sharing quiet moments of support and affection.

At one point, President Trump was seen whispering something to Melania and both were smiling at each other.

While at the Vatican, they also spent time visiting with Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, engaging in warm conversation and exchanging pleasantries as part of their historic visit. 

Trump's wardrobe choice invited a lot of criticism.

"Trump didn’t follow the funeral protocol when it was instructed that every one should wear a dark or black colour suit. He didn’t even wear black tie," one observer posted.

Another added: "Trump showed up to the Pope’s funeral wearing a bright blue suit — not black, not even a dark navy, but blue. It’s embarrassing. It’s disrespectful. And it shows, once again, that he has no understanding of dignity or basic decency."

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.