President Trump on Monday downplayed the criticism over an AI image of him as the pope that was shared by the White House ahead of the conclave to replace the late Pope Francis, saying that

Over 12 years as pope, Francis tried to remake the U.S. Catholic hierarchy more in his image, elevating pastors who prioritized social justice and migration issues over culture warriors who were more favored by his more doctrinaire predecessors St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A new pope who is more conservative could reverse that effort.