I’ll note that Trump followed it up with “no, I don’t know” after saying he wanted to be pope. It’s actually pretty easy to tell when he’s joking because he doesn’t immediately say “no, I don’t know” to signify he’s kidding when it’s stuff like invading Greenland and running for a third term.
If Trump succeeded at sticking around beyond a second term I assume that’s when we’d seen the cult aspects of MAGA become much more literal as a religion. It would appeal to Trump’s vanity and it would be a revenue stream for whatever David Miscavige-style leader wanted to take it on.
After he’s dead, there will be the Elvis-type stories for years about how he’s alive somewhere, guiding the world, and all kind of insanity on steroids.
I’m not Catholic so I can’t answer your question. But I’m sure that conservative American Catholics are able to rationalize this just as they seem to rationalize everything else that conflicts with church doctrine, from the death penalty to deporting pediatric cancer patients without their meds
The trouble is, American conservative Catholics are more likely to be strongly anti-Protestant & they might accept one as president but not as leader of a schismatic US Catholic Church.
I remember wondering if Catholics would think serial philanderer and 2x wife abandoner Newt Gingrich joining their ranks would be a bridge too far, and... no, no it was not.
In fact, the general response was “Welcome, sinner!” - which is also why I ignore everything else these people bray about.
Yup. I can guarantee you that my catholic Trumper neighbors would tell me he's just joking, and that it just goes to show how much Catholics like him and vice versa. Gua-ran-teeeee.
Catholics can recognize trolling as well as any other denomination (ok, that's a hypothesis but probably a defensible one) and question #1 is "why are you ok with your president devoting themselves (relentlessly) to trolling in ANY case?"
Conservative American Catholics don't play a role in the Catholic church as a whole.
There are 1.3 Billion Catholics in the world, 77 Million in the USA, about 0,06%.
Even if the Catholics wanted him as a pope and even if he converted from being protestant (or even agnostic) it would mean nothing.
they’d find it semi offensive, but also laughable, but yes, many conservative Catholic Americans straight up worship him in a comical way that borders on utter oblivious idolization
I don’t want to pick on this person because it’s such a common response when I post Trump’s stuff, but I don’t understand what they think Trump has achieved with this attention. It seems that people have convinced themselves that attention itself is a form of winning. And I don’t think that’s true.
It is a form of winning, evidenced by his “thoughts” on Obama being a non-citizen prez. media carried that narrative for him and continues to parrot what he says.
There's a key before/after here: Trump going from almost no attention to a fair amount of it did boost him into the presidency, but once he became president, all additional attention has only hurt him rather than helped. He won 2024 in part *because* nothing he said or did was a major story.
I mean maybe this person has actually cracked the code of Trump speak. “So much winning”: he is not wrong if all he literally ever meant was “getting attention”
It’s true if you’re reposting his misinfo - we do have evidence that people become more vulnerable to misinfo even if they just see it in the context of it being fact-checked. But this… is not misinfo.
I also think it’s wrong. People keep assuming the man’s capable of thinking strategically when all evidence suggests the guy’s brain is only driven by the child-like impulses of malignant narcissism.
I guarantee that this man absolutely feels entitled to be pope. He went to the funeral, saw how admired and respected the pope was, resents that, and now wants to be the next one. That’s the entire thought process.
It's better than not knowing all the crap he and his cronies are up to. Imagine all that is out there yet to be revealed and proven. I appreciate you and others like Rupar that share info and clips. It's important to know IMO and with so much spewing by trump admin, it's hard to manage.
Like, he’s the fucking president. You’re not playing into his hands by paying attention to him. The things he does can literally change the global economy. He wields enormous power with every post. He’s not just some random troll. Knowing what he posts is like following the weather.
I think it's both. Sure, we're playing into his hands by paying attention to relentless propaganda: that's the point of propaganda. But we also don't have a choice. He won the war.
I'd sure like to know what the person with sole launch authority of the second largest nuclear arsenal in world is doing from time to time but maybe I'm just weird like that because I'm old or something.
They are saying stupid stuff like this doesn't need to be amplified and platformed by high follower accounts in order to increase the your own profile and clout.
There's no limit to the kind of helpful views you could help disseminate but that doesn't juice your stats as much.
He’s the fucking president, not your toxic ex. Imagine if your toxic ex had control of the U.S. military and the ability to stop half a trillion dollars in goods shipped from China overnight. Ignoring the dude doesn’t make him go away.
i don’t think tasteless, aggressive, contemptuous kidding or trolling by the president of the united states is funny, or just harmless, in international relations and/or in the face of a major religion
it doesn’t matter if he’s serious about wanting to be pope. he’s very serious about believing that he rules the world and can kick everyone in the teeth with impunity.
The beast in Revelation is the Antichrist, the one who will “oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” He is also called “the man of lawlessness” and “the man doomed to destruction.”
It’s offensive. He is supposed to representing us, and this is a deed which goes way beyond unacceptable done in our name on the official White House account.
Look on the bright side Matt, he’d be so busy riding around in Vatican City in the Popemobile soaking up all the adulation and fucking up an entire religion that he’d have less time to fuck up the U.S.
OH LOOK 👀
“Odd thing” is not even close to describing this picture. Honestly I am speechless. It’s almost beyond comprehension. The world is going insane and we are all living in an asylum.
It's about attention. Trump currently enjoys holding the attention of the entire planet for good or ill, but he knows the election of the new Pope will draw some of that attention away from him, which is causing him narcissistic pain. He's trying to steal that attention back by cosplaying Pope.
And lady G is pushing, wonder if it wanting conclave to go for ultra conservative. Hoping it has effect of Canada, Australia and get one like Pope Francis
I think it’s more than just odd, I don’t believe world leaders incl. Kim and Putin would ever post such an image, so why is he always given a pass by the media?
Is it, though? I don’t think so. I think someone(s) in his circle truly fantasize about gaining control of the Church’s money, power, and people. And it’s not like they’ve seen such exploratory fantasies shut down—they’ve been enabled.
If we are to believe historic records many Popes, say, from the Renaissance era were anything but saintly. So, not too far fetched an image I gotta say 🥲
A slight logical error in regarding this as a normal time. Every morning I jump on the news to see what crazy sh*t tRump came up with on the previous day. Only a genius can top this.
I have heard people say that Musk behaves like he is playing a video game. So I find it easy to imagine that people in similar positions of power see "being the next pope" as just another "achievement" to "unlock". It is not like "making sense" is a top priority for them, is it?
I rarely go to Church, but pray privately, confess, & try my best to be a good and kind person.When I saw the AI image #TRUMP made saying he should be the new #POPE I felt so sad that someone would do this a few days after the POPE died
The marriage of Church and State... a deep obsession of the Catholic and some other Christian Churches... Oddly enough, the Roman Catholic Church, does not acknowledge him as saint, only other Churches...
All the 20th c. Fascists, their 19th c. forerunners, and their 21st c. heirs are obssessed with the idea of rebuilding the Roman empire... hence the "roman" (Fascist) salutes and all the bad history around the Roman Empire
@theflyingkitchen.bsky.social, you don't know me, but I have been listening to your videos. I am tagging you here because I think this thread by @rsnunez.bsky.social could be of interest to you.
Francis made many mistakes with the CSA, but he was well aware of how dangerous was to bet all on abortion. Back in the 90s, when he was aux. bp. at BsAs Menem called for a Constitutional convention in Argentina, putting front and center abortion. The bps then, lead by JP2 fell for the trap.
Catholicism played a significant role in shaping Project 2025, as Kevin Roberts has close ties to Opus Dei. P2025 aims to implement a Christian nationalist agenda that aligns with certain Catholic teachings, impacting policies on issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
I mean yes, but then the whole thing where his signature policy is - bring out the strangers so that I we may know them - kind of turned me off in 2016.
My fellow parishioners range the whole spectrum of politics but most don't talk about it at all. So I only speak for myself.
My guess is that the Catholics who support Trump have wilfully ignored so much, that this won't even phase them.
If they were offended by it, they might have to admit they were wrong about Trump, and that would be way more painful than finding some rationalization around this.
A few years ago, Trump wished everyone a "Happy Good Friday!" on Twitter. And as someone baptized, who went through RCIA, etc but is no longer a practicing Catholic, I was appalled.
But I was also thinking, "Where is the outrage? False prophet."🤷♀️ Breaks all 10 commandments, embodies 7 deadly sins.
My dad's side of the family is vehemently anti-Trump and has been since the beginning. My mom's side is full MAGA. My mom and dad met because my dad and mom's brother were in seminary together and dropped out at the same time.
Also a former Catholic. I grew up in a mission diocese in the Bible Belt (<3% of the population was Catholic). And it was wholly open doors to everyone, feed the hungry, advocate for the disenfranchised, etc and bingo. And then I moved to the city and was like WTF?
But mom was one of the "Girls Who Were Sent Away" in 1968 for a teen pregnancy. I will never forgive that. And, as far as I know, the Church has never asked for forgiveness so...
I'd like to hear from JD Vance, Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito too while we're at it. Go on the record about how you support this and it's totally cool, you blasphemous liars
And especially in his mind since the Pope is not elected but chosen, he assuredly thinks in some future scenario that he owns a ballot slot. His support via evangelicals already has gone to his head.
Sure but that's because these aren't normal times and also he's a weirder president than anybody's ever seen before. Nobody ever thought it was possible
Trump has quite successfully and singlehandedly managed to insult and infuriate every devout Roman Catholic around the world. That amounts to approximately 1.3 billion people.
He might be trolling, but I guarantee that he not only believes he could (and should be invited to) do it, but that he believes he'd be better than anyone else at it.
True but has he very posted anything that made sense?? His posts read like a 3year old having a tantrum, picked up a phone and pushed all the buttons at the same time.
Listen, I like dumb jokes from my friends, but I don’t care for them from the person in charge of mine and my family’s entire future. And I guess I do expect a level of decorum from those in charge. Like, someone w/a working brain who knows when to joke and when not to joke/troll
Odd? Serving white wine with steak is odd. Wearing white before Memorial Day is odd. This image is about as odd and as welcome as a turd in a punch bowl at a wedding reception.
Remember when annexing Canada was a joke and then he just kept talking about it and then other politicians started talking about it and then it affected the Canadian elections?
The Medici family had members that became Popes but the difference is that they were a very successful family of egomaniacs. Trump's family is collection of bankruptcy candidates.
Media seems to be missing the point of this post by tRump. He is trying to influence the conclave. It is a thinly veiled threat for them to choose a new Pope that will support his agenda, or one that at least won’t interfere.
I'm not Catholic, not even a believer—in short, an atheist, possibly even an apatheist—so I'm clearly no expert on the matter, but isn't this an absolute demonstration of complete disrespect?
“Odd”? Surely you can do better than that, like “despicable”?. I’m odd, irreverent and someone who left the Catholic Church, and have too much empathy for people whose religious leader (of any sect) has passed to make jokes about a recently deceased religious leader.
Trump posts image of himself as pope on Truth Social.
“Completely disrespectful. The Catholiccommunity is mourning and you post this?”
Ephesians 5:11
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
I watched that clip. He looked very serious. And following up with this? If this were a relative we’d want him to get a psychiatric evaluation. This is too delusional for us to just accept it as trolling.
Liberals should stop piously hand-wringing over this. 1) it is funny. 2) fascists want to profane the holy. Look at how trump discusses the military. It's a sign of the times to be used for different ends since the church and the military suck anyways
Saying “it’s a very odd thing” seems like an extreme understatement to me. Trump’s bizarre makeup, widely ignored by the press, is “very odd”. This is something much worse. I can’t even find the words. I don’t even know in what sense it’s “trolling”.
The orange Antichrist is good at creating opportunities for his followers to sink to new lows. A little idolatry, treason, and blasphemy, every day, keeps a cult strong.
I wonder what would happen if they blew white smoke, and Cardinal Pizzabolla came out and proclaimed, after much deliberation, they made trump pope? I'm not sure he could honestly turn it down. His ego is too big
Hail, His Hollowness. You have crowned yourself Pope now - not of Rome, but of the Republic of Lies, the Holy See of Narcissism, the Vatican of Venmo. And lo, you wear your vestments not in humility but in an AI hallucination of piety for a man who’s never known confession, penance or shame.
You, whose idea of sacrament is a cheeseburger. You, who mistook the Sermon on the Mount for a property appraisal. You, who thinks the Stations of the Cross are Amtrak stops.
Is it not written in the Book of Grift, Chapter MAGA, Verse 20:24: “And the beast adorned himself in white robes and said, ‘Behold, I alone can fix it,’ and the crowd cheered, though the land burned.”
Comments
In fact, the general response was “Welcome, sinner!” - which is also why I ignore everything else these people bray about.
There are 1.3 Billion Catholics in the world, 77 Million in the USA, about 0,06%.
Even if the Catholics wanted him as a pope and even if he converted from being protestant (or even agnostic) it would mean nothing.
You're right, but doesn't change my point.
Don’t ask me how I know😭
There's no limit to the kind of helpful views you could help disseminate but that doesn't juice your stats as much.
We should encourage this so he moves to the Vatican?
He’s the fucking president, not your toxic ex. Imagine if your toxic ex had control of the U.S. military and the ability to stop half a trillion dollars in goods shipped from China overnight. Ignoring the dude doesn’t make him go away.
It would be a great revenge from us if everybody ignores him, no matter what he does, what he says.
let him cook
maybe he'll piss off the 'wrong' catholic out there
https://bsky.app/profile/thatsthefactjack.bsky.social/post/3lobg6pkslk27
Habemus Papam!
It is like you are nominating the antichrist to be the next pope.
When is enough, enough?
OH LOOK 👀
He means it for real.
https://bsky.app/profile/snurb.info/post/3lncywej4yy2c
Wait i think the antichrist is meant to become pope? Or just rule the world?
I rarely go to Church, but pray privately, confess, & try my best to be a good and kind person.When I saw the AI image #TRUMP made saying he should be the new #POPE I felt so sad that someone would do this a few days after the POPE died
I think DT is #SICK
https://youtu.be/5AvLxeTvivY?si=qm7-jyEYmv3wzulV
Look, if you’re religious at all, just chill. Because this motherfker’ is going to hell.
Will drive them mad.
If Rubio and Vance then speak up, he should ask them to post such a picture - if they dare. How far would they go as "good, God-fearing" Catholics?
(R)'s afraid the Vatican will control the Oval.
FF 65 years...
(R)'s attempting to control the Vatican from the Oval.
I could give no less fucks about whatever horrible Christian shit happens. They’ve ruined everything.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RbrNckL0Tnc?feature=share
My fellow parishioners range the whole spectrum of politics but most don't talk about it at all. So I only speak for myself.
If they were offended by it, they might have to admit they were wrong about Trump, and that would be way more painful than finding some rationalization around this.
But I was also thinking, "Where is the outrage? False prophet."🤷♀️ Breaks all 10 commandments, embodies 7 deadly sins.
They also include people like JD Vance.
But I am just a former-Catholic atheist.
And a sign of madness.
you think I should be Pope?”
To the 1.4 billion Catholics around the world: this isn’t just a joke. This is sacrilege.
It’s a mockery of faith.
Catholics aren’t props for a meme war. The papacy isn’t a costume for a man who’s never shown humility.
TBH it's political malpractice.
Though: I suppose the Catholic-hating Southern Baptists (and his AnCap atheist techbros) thought it was funny.
The US has an emotional child as President.
https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/the-remarkable-parallels-between-king-henry-viii-and-donald-trump/
What does that actually mean?
THE U.S. President isn't supposed to be a petty weirdo TROLL.
It isn't "very odd." It is SO FUCKED UP. #OMFG
-pedophile pope?
-nązi loving pope?
-anti-science pope?
-daughter-fμcking pope?
-Russian cock guzzling pope?
-felon pope?
-pope with 3 hate-me wives?
-COVID murdering pope?
-insurrectionist pope?
https://bsky.app/profile/paleofuture.bsky.social/post/3loachxtqv22c
https://bsky.app/profile/jrlondergan.bsky.social/post/3loahhwdmq22c
“Completely disrespectful. The Catholiccommunity is mourning and you post this?”
Ephesians 5:11
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
I think he wants to drink from all those priceless golden chalises and that hat... all the better for hiding his bald spot
i'm not joking
This is INTENTIONAL. It's a signal to them that Trump is the true Christian leader.
.... The fuck