He is the US President, and given a chance, he would love to be the next Pope too. A week after attending Pope Francis's funeral at the Vatican, Donald Trump said becoming the next leader of the Catholic Church would be "his number one choice."
"As Pope? I'd like to be Pope," Trump said on Tuesday, responding to a reporter's question as he left the White House for a rally marking his first 100 days in office. "That would be my number one choice."
South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, on X, requested the papal conclave "to keep an open mind about this possibility."
"I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope," he wrote on X. "This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-US President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke. Trump MMXXVIII!"
Here, "white smoke" refers to the Vatican tradition. White smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel chimney means a new pope has been elected.
Roughly 135 Catholic cardinals are expected to enter a secret conclave next week at the Vatican to select the next pontiff. So far, no clear frontrunner has emerged.
Asked who he thought should become the next pope, Trump did not name any preference but praised Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York. "No, I don't know, I have no preference," he said. "I must say we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who's very good, so we'll see what happens."
Dolan, one of nine American cardinals who will be part of the conclave, remains a long-shot candidate, despite his stature in the US.
Trump's visit to the Vatican attracted considerable attention, particularly his quiet meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at St Peter's Basilica, where the two leaders were seen seated and speaking closely during the funeral.
The president also faced criticism for not following the traditional dress code at the papal funeral. While other dignitaries and First Lady Melania Trump wore black, as mandated by the Vatican, Trump wore a navy blue suit, blue tie, and a lapel pin of the American flag.
Back in February, Trump launched a new White House initiative called the "Faith Office" aimed at strengthening ties with religious conservatives. He signed an executive order appointing televangelist and longtime spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain to head the effort. Before that, Trump announced that a task force, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, would be created to address what he described as the "persecution" of Christians in the United States.
