As Catholics mourned the loss of Pope Francis, who died April 21, 2025, rumors about U.S. President Donald Trump's reaction to the news spread online.
One meme shared widely on social media featured an image of Trump and the alleged quote: "Frankly, I should be the Pope, and in a lot of ways, maybe I already am."
The claim appeared primarily on Facebook posts (archived, archived, archived), but also made its way to Instagram (archived) and the meme website Imgur (archived).
However, Snopes found no evidence that Trump said the quote featured in the claim, and the White House denied he had said those words. Therefore, we have rated this claim as having incorrect attribution.
It was unclear who originally created the popular meme. A Google search (archived) for the quote returns only results of social media users sharing the claim, and no reputable outlets reported on the assertion that would most certainly be headline newsworthy.
Meanwhile, a search of Trump's official X (archived) and Truth Social (archived) accounts for the alleged quote yields no results. Further, a White House spokesperson told Snopes via email that the president never said the quote in question.
Though Trump and Francis were publicly at odds throughout Trump's time in political office, the president posted some words of condolence on social media.
On his social media network Truth Social, he wrote (archived), "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!" and confirmed (archived) he and first lady Melania Trump would be attending Francis' funeral. In addition, the president posted that he ordered (archived) American flags on public buildings to be flown at half-staff as "a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis."
During his opening remarks at the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll on April 21, available to view on YouTube, Trump said of Francis, "He was a good man, worked hard, he loved the world."
Although Trump did not make the statement in question, he told reporters on April 29, "I'd like to be pope, that would be my No. 1 choice."
Snopes has investigated other rumors that circulated after Francis' death, including claims that the pope skipped a meeting with JD Vance on Easter Sunday and that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted "Evil is being defeated by the hand of God" on the morning Francis died.