Weeks after Pope Francis death, Trump laughed off questions about AI-generated photo of him as pope. His dismissal comes on the eve of papal conclave.

An AI image of Trump as the pope, shared by him and the White House, drew backlash from Catholic leaders. While the White House defended him as “a staunch champion for Catholics,” US bishops called the post disrespectful after Pope Francis’ death.

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the backlash against an AI-generated image of him as the pope posted by the White House on social media, saying it was a harmless joke, but communications experts said they did not see the funny side.