Just days before American-born Robert Prevost was elected pope—the first in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church—US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in full papal regalia.

Was it a prophetic gesture, a political stunt, or something more calculated?

The image, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform on May 2, showed him in a white cassock and miter, styled like a reigning pontiff.

Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope ahead of the papal conclave

The post was later reshared by the White House’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, prompting criticism from Catholic leaders in the United States and in Italy.

Many saw it as ill-timed, even disrespectful, coming during the Church’s traditional nine-day mourning period following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.

But in light of this week’s dramatic developments—namely, the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV—Trump’s post is now being viewed in a new light.

Prevost, a Chicago-born missionary and dual citizen of the United States and Peru, had been considered a strong candidate, though the idea of an American pope has long been seen as unlikely due to the United States’ global influence.

However, his decades of service in Peru and leadership within the Vatican helped ease concerns about geopolitical dominance, according to media reports.

Still, the question lingers: Did Trump somehow know what was coming?

However, the timing was striking. Within a week of Trump’s post, the conclave delivered one of the most surprising outcomes in modern Church history.

Prevost, first pope from US in history, takes the name Leo XIV

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy Saturday (May 10), identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue in some of the core priorities of Pope Francis.

Leo, the first American pope, told the cardinals who elected him that he was fully committed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernised the church.

He identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labour.

As the Church turns a historic page with its first US-born pope, Trump's digital pope image—once mocked—now takes on a surreal relevance. Whether coincidence or calculated media play, the post once dismissed as bluster may now can be remembered as one of Trump’s most oddly timed provocations.