Ana Navarro knows Donald Trump likes to “bait” and “distract” his critics, but she just couldn’t let his AI-pope post go.
“I realize this is him trolling us so that we are outraged and talking about it,” she said Monday on The View, “But alright, I’m gonna take the bait ‘cause I’m a flawed Catholic, but I’m a Catholic still. Him tweeting out an AI-created image on the White House official account of him posing as the pope, is disrespectful, it is frankly disgusting, and it is outrageous.”
Trump, a non-Catholic, shared the image last week on his Truth Social account. The AI-generated meme of himself as the pope, dressed in white robes and gilded gold just weeks after the death of Pope Francis last month, left a bad taste in the mouths of many Catholics besides Navarro. What’s worse, the White House amplified the image by re-posting it across its official social media platforms.
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Navarro took the opportunity to address Trump directly: “Mr. President, it’s His Holiness the pope, not His Oiliness, the dope.”
“I realize this is part of his distraction strategy so that we’re not talking about him not following the Constitution,” she added, referring to what was supposed to be the main topic of the segment. I realize this is him trolling us so that we are outraged and talking about it."
But “many, many Catholics, people of faith who actually do believe in god and believe in the rituals of the church, not the people who wear crosses just for the sake of wearing crosses, people who actually believe in that mark, are bereft over the death of Francis—one of the most solemn times in the catholic church when they are in the process of selecting a new pope,” Navarro continued.
She then gave a sharp rebuke to other Catholics who voted for Trump. “All of those devout Catholics that voted for Donald Trump because they thought for some reason he was a better representation of faith than other folks, I think you need to ask yourself some questions,” Navarro concluded. “And I think you need to ask the White House and Donald Trump some questions.”
