Former President Donald Trump has revealed his top pick for the next pope — and the choice has left many people stunned.
Following the death of Pope Francis at age 88 on Easter Monday (April 21), Trump attended the pontiff’s funeral on Saturday. Now, a date has been set for the secret conclave where cardinals will gather to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church — exactly one week from today.
Roughly 135 cardinals from across the globe are expected to attend the closed-door proceedings in the Sistine Chapel at Vatican City. However, none of the eligible cardinals appear to be on Trump’s preferred list.
When asked on the White House lawn who he would like to see as the next pope, the 78-year-old Republican gave a response that was as unexpected as it was controversial. Have a listen:
Of course, the president was joking—but the comment has still left many feeling deeply unsettled.
On Twitter, one user remarked, “A convicted pope,” while another quipped, “Let me guess: ‘I’d be a better pope than any past pope.’”
A third joked, “If he becomes pope, perhaps we’ll finally see historic changes in the religious system.”
And a fourth added sarcastically, “Oh, absolutely. Trump clearly has a deep understanding of Catholicism. Question: if he doesn’t get two-thirds of the vote from the College of Cardinals, will he accuse the papacy of cheating?”
President Donald Trump holds a bible outside a church in Washington D.C, back in 2020 (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Unfortunately for Trump, and I’m sure a few MAGA supporters, even if he wanted to be considered as a candidate, he is ineligible.
To be up with a chance of election into the Apostolic Palace, you must be Catholic, meaning you’d first need to be baptized.
Trump is a Christian in belief so unless he converted to Catholicism before Wednesday next week, his chances of becoming the next pope are nil.
Some people were fighting the president’s corner however, with one penning: “Trump would be an excellent Pope!” while a second typed: “I think he was joking – right?”
A third laughed: “Hahaahahahahha! Even the people that don’t like Trump have to admit, this was funny!”
Ivanka, Melania and Donald Trump pose next to Pope Francis back in 2017 (EVAN VUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)
With another adding: “Trump is the best Troller that the world has ever seen.”
Trump has previously been questioned over his religion; if you recall back in 2015 during his presidential campaign, he claimed the Bible was his favorite book.
When asked by a CNN reporter what his most liked verse from the holy book is, he replied: “I wouldn’t want to get into it. Because to me, that’s very personal.
“The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics.”
Before being asked to share whether he preferred the New or Old Testaments, he responded: “Probably equal. I think it’s just incredible.”
