Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday endorsed President Donald Trump to be the next head of the Roman Catholic Church. And although the remark may have been in jest, users online were anything but amused.
After being asked by a reporter outside the White House who the next Pope should be, Trump jokingly responded that he would take the role before ultimately stating that he had no preference.
“I’d like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice,” Trump said. “No, I don’t know. I have no preference.”
Trump’s remarks were quickly highlighted by Graham, who backed the idea of “the first Pope-U.S. President.”
“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,” Graham wrote. “This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”
While Graham’s remark, like Trump’s, may have been tongue-in-cheek, users on social media nevertheless pushed back given the president’s penchant for unprecedented behavior.
“Are you high right now?” one prominent anti-Trump X user wrote.
“I think it’s time for another flood,” a user posing as Jesus Christ added.
Others took offense to Graham’s suggestion, questioning whether the politician was making light of their faith.
“Is my Catholicism a joke to you, Lindsey? Is this funny to the 10% of Catholics in South Carolina?” the user asked. “Because you are ignorant, we are in a 10-day period of mourning Pope Francis. You have absolutely no respect or instinct. Just a sad Trump dog.”
Graham is a Baptist, not a Catholic.
“Embarrassing, sacrilegious, and insulting to Catholics worldwide,” added BuffyHippie.
Although some Trump supporters saw the statement as an obvious joke, many still argued that the president would make an ideal Supreme Pontiff.
“‘We do a little trolling,’” another user said. “He would, however, be an upgrade from our previous fake/commie Pope. Hope the Cardinals choose someone who is actually a man of God this go-round.”
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican statesman John McCain, weighed in as well.
“Lindsey – get a grip,” she wrote.
The Church’s last leader, Pope Francis, died last week at the age of 88. Trump and Francis repeatedly butted heads over the years, most recently over the president’s plans for mass deportations.
While Trump will most likely never become Pope, the president’s “jokes,” such as claims of a third term, are often taken serious by his biggest advocates.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
