President Donald Trump addressed questions on Monday regarding an image that circulated online over the weekend showing him dressed as the pope, which had been shared by the official White House account. Trump insisted the image was well received by many, particularly Catholics.
In a tense exchange in the Oval Office, a reporter pointed out that “some Catholics were not so happy about the image of you looking like the Pope.” Trump didn’t hesitate to respond sharply. “Oh, I see you mean they can’t take a joke; you don’t mean the Catholics, you mean the fake news media… The Catholics loved it,” Trump said.
Trump clarified that he had no hand in producing or sharing the image and suggested it emerged independently online. “I had nothing to do with it. Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the Pope, and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it,” he said. “I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”
He mentioned that Melania Trump had seen the picture and found it amusing. “Actually, my wife thought it was cute. She said, ‘Isn’t that nice?’ Actually, I would not be able to be married, though, that would be a lot,” Trump said, prompting laughter from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was seated nearby. “To the best of my knowledge, popes aren’t big on getting married, are they?”
When the reporter pressed further, questioning whether such an image undermined the seriousness of the official White House communications, Trump dismissed the concern. “Give me a break.”
Brushing off the criticism, Trump concluded, “Somebody did it in fun, it’s fine. You have to have a little fun, don’t you?”
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{Matzav.com}