One likens himself to the Buddha, the other dresses as the Pope. It’s hard to tell when it is humour, when it is hubris

After Elon Musk likened himself to the Buddha, his pal Donald Trump now dresses as the Pope. Divine or disrespectful? It was not enough that Mr Trump had, four days ago, joked to the media about wanting to be the next Catholic pontiff. When asked, following the latter’s death, who he would like to succeed Pope Francis, Mr Trump said: “I’d like to be Pope, that would be my No.1 choice.”. This came after he told The Atlantic: “I run America and I run the world”. What next—Make (the) Vatican Great Again? Yesterday, ahead of the papal conclave, he shared what is likely an AI-generated image of him togged as the Pope. It appeared on his Truth Social page, as well as the official White House X account.

Last week, Mr Trump attended the funeral service of Pope Francis, and was criticised for ignoring the dress code. This time, in that solemn photo, he dressed the part, but was berated by Catholics for what they saw as him mocking their faith in the most egregious manner. Unsurprisingly, his fans call it “harmless humour”. JD Vance, a converted Catholic, has remained piercingly quiet. What is audibly clear is that the intersection of AI-generated imagery and religious iconography, particularly in an era where the term “icon” is used so casually, creates a complex and potentially problematic landscape, or, in this case portraiture.

In the image, Mr Trump wears seemingly traditional papal finery: a full soutane in white, comprising a cassock (without cuffs) and fly-front cape, and a wide cincture, also known as the fascia (to better obscure his generous girth?). On his head is a pointed mitre, traditionally worn by a bishop. He has a gold chain hung around his neck, at the end of which a pectoral cross sits above his stomach. He holds up the index finger of his right hand. The fisherman (or papal) ring is not seen on any finger. Pope Francis, after his death was dubbed by CNN as “an unlikely fashion icon”. In fact, the pontiff was named “best-dressed man” by Esquire in 2013. A year later, he became the first Pope to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. Donald Trump, conversely, shows he is just a proponent of cosplay. And even then, it was AI-aided.

Photo: donaldtrump/Truth Social