Having just posted an ethics quiz about whether it is ethical to make nice people’s heads explode, I now have to deal with the latest example of President Trump doing exactly that.
It’s not a tough call. There is no up-side to deliberately offending devout Catholics, many of whom are Hispanic, a group that is significantly supporting the President’s efforts to enforce the border. In that respect the meme is another unforced error and an instance of incompetent leadership. The gag—yes, ye Trump-Deranged, it is a gag, and the President isn’t really stating that he wants to be Pope—is not worth the fallout. Trump has too many important missions that require as much popular support as possible to deliberately poke any group in its metaphorical eye just for fun.
We know the President is an asshole. He doesn’t have to keep reminding us.
Ethics Alarms 
Who knows? Maybe there are Catholics of various stripes and colors who would be delighted to have Trump installed as Pope to clean up the church.
Even the most liberal Catholics tend to prefer their Popes to be Catholic, and their bears to…well, you know.
If I weren’t a sixty or so years lapsed Catholic, I’d take Trump over Francis. They might as well have installed Bernie Sanders or Che Guevara when they put Francis in there. Hard to tell what direction the Red Birds will go in during this year’s draft. I just can’t see them picking another Commie. But maybe the church has gone woke.
The question is: Was Pope Francis Catholic? He seem to disagree with much of the church’s stances on many issues.
I knew you would post on it! Now I have to ask myself a conscience question. Why do we always laugh the loudest at things we are not supposed to laugh at?
Maybe SNL will do a Sinéad O’Connor skit with that new picture since they hate President Trump so much.
I would like to think that I am a reasonably devout Catholic. I don’t find this offensive. As a comparative note, I was not offended by the Obama halo pictures either. Frankly, of the two, Saint Obama went a little (but only a little) closer to offensive than Pope Trump.
Pope Francis, I always felt, had a great deal in common with Donald Trump. Neither of them could speak extemporaneously without needing an apologist to explain what they said in such a way that did not violate the creed they felt they were expounding upon. For Pope Francis, he spoke in such a confusing and inaccurate way (usually mistranslated by the media for good measure) that he seemed to violate church teaching when he actually toed the line for Catholic thought and teaching, even though it was easy to misunderstand or intentionally twist his words to say enough to violate Church teaching. For Trump, he does the same with the laws, regulations, and founding documents of the United States. He also has such a confusing and inarticulate form of speech, as well as a media who will phrase his sayings in such a terrible light that they are easy to misunderstand or intentionally twist.
As for picturing himself as a Pope, he has the same chance as any other non-cardinal baptized Christian, which is to say that he has a chance, but it is very slim. I believe that he knows that, and is merely joking around. There is no reason to be offended by such a joke, and frankly, those that are need thicker skin. Catholics have had a long history of persecution, and today’s Gospel spoke of those who rejoiced for being chosen for the joys of being persecuted in Jesus’ name. That we have gone from greatness like that to getting our widdle feewings hurt over a silly picture that causes no harm, speaks of a problem with Catholics, not a problem with the President.
Vance, a Catholic, defended this, though perhaps not in the healthiest way. I also defend it. Grow up and get over it, juvenile Catholics. We should be happy that we have someone who acknowledges the power of the Pope rather than ignores the Pope and Magisterium, like Biden, or actively tries to kill us, like many of the Muslim countries, or China who is actively rejecting Catholicism and attacking Catholics right now.
I do not believe that Trump should have done this, as it offends too many snowflakes, but at the same time, snowflakes need to stop being offended. Catholicism is not for the easily offended as it is still a criminal offense in parts of the globe. Some of our greatest heroes could not only take a joke, but could crack them as they were being killed.
Well stated, intelligent commentary.
I tend to agree with Prof. Althouse on this:
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2025/05/trump-as-pope-posted-by-trump-himself.html
Her point is Trump thought it was funny and provavative. He didn’t create thebimage; he reposted it. But, our 21 year old son said it best: ” Trump is the President. He doesn’t need and shouldn’t troll people.”
jvb
Please tell your son for me “Bingo!”