A Trump in Pope’s Clothing

As Catholics around the world mourn the death of a beloved pope, Donald Trump, never one to let solemnity get in the way of self-promotion, stepped into the spotlight dressed as the pope himself, mere days after attending the pope’s funeral in Rome.

 

At a moment when the Catholic Church is preparing to elect a new leader, Trump’s costume is more than a stunt. It’s an insult. It is deliberate disrespect, timed to exploit grief, hijack global attention, and insert himself once again into a space where he doesn’t belong.

The entire display of arrogance is timed for attention, political gain, and symbolic power.

 

The death of a pope initiates a complex process within the Catholic Church. Cardinals from around the world gather in a conclave to elect a new spiritual leader: one who will influence politics, diplomacy, and over a billion lives. It is a rare moment when the world looks to the Vatican with seriousness.

 

I am not a faithful believer and yet even here, it’s easy to understand the significance of the role of the papacy in guiding people to right thought and right action.

 

Trump saw it as a photo op.

 

Draped in white, playing dress-up in papal robes, Trump inserted himself into the narrative not as a voice of solidarity, but as a brand extension; one more image to feed his cult of personality. It wasn’t just tone-deaf. It was a calculated insult, timed for maximum disruption. It was more fodder for those who fill their minds at the trough of Trump’s ego.

 

 

Donald Trump has governed and campaigned in direct contradiction to the values embodied by Catholic teachings and Christian ethics:

His policies prioritized cruelty over compassion.

 

His rhetoric stoked division, pride, and resentment.

 

He has shown no regard for truth, humility, or justice.

 

This isn’t a spiritual leader. It’s a twice-impeached former president who now faces dozens of criminal charges.

And now he wears the robes of the pope; a man known as “the servant of the servants of God.”

 

There is no irony here. Only mockery.

It’s not satire. It’s delusion.

 

But Trump’s stunt may reveal more than mockery. It reveals envy.

 

Unlike the presidency, the papacy is not a democracy. The pope answers to no voters, no courts, and no press. The Catholic Church is a theocracy, not a republic. And in this rigid hierarchy of authority, Trump sees not a spiritual model; but a power fantasy.

 

Trump doesn’t just want influence. He wants unchallenged rule, absolute loyalty, and divine legitimacy. Dressing like the pope isn’t just symbolic; it’s aspirational.

 

He longs for the throne, not the cross. The title, not the burden.

 

And millions cheer him on, not realizing that in his fantasy, democracy doesn’t survive.

 

Perhaps the most disturbing part of this display isn’t Trump’s behavior. We’ve come to expect this. The real issue is that millions of American Christians will defend it, dismiss criticism, or even celebrate it. Friends of mine from my years in the seminary call him a “savior” without a hint of irony or introspection.

These same people will call LGBTQ+ people “blasphemous” for existing, but they’ll say nothing when their politician pretends to be a candidate for the papacy.

 

Why? Because the MAGA movement has long since replaced faith with political identity. To many in that camp, Trump isn’t just a political figure. He’s a messianic figure; flawed, yes, but chosen. His actions are no longer judged by Scripture or doctrine, but by loyalty and tribalism.

 

Their silence in response to this stunt is complicity.

 

Their applause is idolatry in real time.

 

Half of my family and several friends, posing as devout Christians would cast their ballot for Trump again and again, not because of his political acumen, but because they fear and hate the same people he despises. Trump is their god of war. A Yahweh for today.

 

Trump’s papal cosplay is a real-life echo of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Except this time, the emperor isn’t naked; he’s dressed in someone else’s sacred robes. And still, no one in his camp dares to speak the obvious:

“He hasn’t got anything on.”

Not holiness. Not humility. Not truth.

What he has is power.

 

And a base willing to call it divine, even when the absurdity is plain to see.

 

Trump dressing as the pope during a papal transition is not a tribute to religion or tradition. It’s a branding exercise. It exploits a moment of global significance to elevate one man’s ego.