Over 12 years as pope, Francis tried to remake the U.S. Catholic hierarchy more in his image, elevating pastors who prioritized social justice and migration issues over culture warriors who were more favored by his more doctrinaire predecessors St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A new pope who is more conservative could reverse that effort.

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, late on Friday, May 2, to share an image of himself in the traditional papal clothing. The official White House social media account later reposted the image on X. The image garnered a mixed response, with one critic saying it was " rather offensive for Catholics."

Just hours after Vatican workers installed the chimney onto the roof of the Sistine Chapel to prepare for the Papal Conclave, which will begin on May 7 to select a new pope, the White House shared an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump in papal regalia on X,