Trump Celebrates Selection of Leo XIV as First American Pope: ‘What Excitement’

Pope Francis meets with President Donald Trump on the occasion of their private audience, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)

President Donald Trump celebrated the selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, as the first American Pope on Thursday, calling it a “Great Honor for our Country.”

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” wrote Trump on Truth Social shortly after the news broke on Thursday. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

The president mourned the death of Pope Francis, Leo XIV’s predecessor, last month in another Truth Social post that read “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

He also created a stir earlier this month when he shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Pope.

Asked about the image by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich earlier this week, Trump asserted that only “the fake news media” was upset by it, while Catholics “loved it.”

“I had nothing to do with it,” he continued. “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. I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”