President Donald Trump on Monday brushed aside criticism lodged against him after an AI image depicting him dressed as the pope was posted to his social media accounts, claiming the “fake news media,” not Catholics,

An AI-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed as the pope is drawing criticism from some Catholics after it was posted on social media just days before the papal conclave to select the next pontiff begins in Rome.

Not long after Pope Francis' death, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal garb on both his Truth Social account and on the White House's official X account. Catholics have been speaking out against the image despite Trump's assertions that it wasn't offensive.