Trump's Pope Comments Prove His Ego Can't Handle The World Not Revolving Around Him
Pope Leo XIV's May 8, 2025 election was a momentous occasion, not just for the Catholic Church and its countless followers, but for the US citizens who witnessed the selection of church's first American pope. So, of course, President Trump naturally found a way to put the spotlight on himself in yet another ego-driven moment.
Fox News' Sean Hannity joined President Trump on Air Force One for a one-on-one interview from the latter's oversized in-plane desk. Hannity asked the commander in chief about Pope Leo's appointment, which he mentioned was a potential anti-Trump decision. President Trump's response was about as real as his spray tan. "He was really a surprise choice," Trump said in a clip posted on X on May 14, 2025. President Trump, in true form, related the choice to himself. "I noticed on CNN yesterday, Dana Bash was saying 'Well, this had nothing to do with Donald Trump,'" President Trump said.
He loves making the Pope's election about himself
President Donald Trump made Pope Francis' death and the subsequent 2025 papal conclave about himself before Pope Leo XIV's election was even announced. Though President Trump's ego likely took a hit when he was given third row seating at Pope Francis' funeral, he still managed to spin the somber occasion and its aftermath into a series of self-gratifying moments.
"I'd like to be Pope," he told Fox News in an April 29, 2025 clip posted on X. "That'd be my number one choice." He even went as far as sharing an arguably blasphemous, AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope in a May 2, 2025 post on his Truth Social platform. The latter stunt sparked controversy among the Catholic population. "As a practicing Roman Catholic I find this a bit disrespectful," one X user wrote. "Come on Trump!"
As much as President Trump would love to have as much global authority as the pope, he'll have to settle for working alongside Pope Leo, instead. Some social media users, however, don't think the two leaders will see eye-to-eye on moral subjects like immigration. "Trump says he'd 'love' to talk immigration with the new American Pope — who believes in compassion, dignity, and protecting the vulnerable," one X user wrote. "Meanwhile, Trump's out here deporting kids with cancer. That meeting wouldn't end in agreement — it'd end in prayer for his soul."