The image — which first appeared on Trump's Truth Social account — was posted days before Catholic cardinals are set to begin a conclave to elect the next pope . The White House posted an AI-generated photo of President Donald Trump depicted as the Roman Catholic pope late Friday night, days after he joked that he'd "like to be pope." Courtesy: The White House via X, formerly Twitter Trump attended Pope Francis' funeral in Rome last weekend, during which he also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Tuesday, days after returning from Francis' funeral, Trump joked to reporters outside the White House that he'd "like to be pope," adding, "that would be my number one choice." He followed up by saying that he has "no preference" over who is ultimately selected. Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met with the Roman Catholic pontiff a day before his death.

Francis died of a stroke that ultimately led to irreversible heart failure, according to a death certificate issued by the Vatican. The post of the AI-generated image sparked widespread social media response, with some users defending it as a joke and others strongly denouncing the image. The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, strongly condemned the post.

"There is nothing clever or funny about this image," said in a post on X. "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 group said. "Do not mock us."

Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, an outspoken Trump critic, criticized the post and said it "affirms how unserious and incapable [Trump] is."