Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday shared a spoof image of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform, following a lighthearted remark about wanting to become the next Catholic pontiff. The image, seemingly AI-generated, shows Trump in white papal robes, a gold crucifix, and the traditional miter hat, with his right index finger pointed skyward. His post comes just days before cardinals begin the conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21. Asked who he would like to succeed Pope Francis, Trump said: “I’d like to be pope, that would be my number one choice.” Trump went on to say that he did not have a preference but said there was a cardinal in New York who was “very good.” He seemed to be alluding to New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan, a staunch theological conservative and vocal opponent of abortion. Trump attended Pope Francis' funeral last week, marking his first international trip since returning to office. Roughly 20 percent of Americans identify as Catholic, and exit polls from November showed that about 60 percent of them supported Trump. Pope Francis had been widely regarded as one of the most influential moral critics of Trump on the global stage.