President Donald Trump has congratulated Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the new pope of the Catholic Church. Prevost, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, is the first American to hold the position in the church’s history.
The conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis began on Wednesday and concluded Thursday evening, when white smoke from the Sistine Chapel signalled the election of the new pope.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” he added in a Truth Social post shortly after the Vatican’s announcement.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Trump’s remarks come just days after he shared an AI-generated image of himself in papal robes, joking that becoming pope would be his “number one choice.”
The post drew criticism from some members of the Catholic community, including cardinals involved in the conclave, who viewed it as insensitive during the church’s mourning period following Pope Francis’s death.
Trump, who is not Catholic, also attended the funeral of Pope Francis. The Vatican has not commented on his social media activity.
