President Donald Trump has made a sport out of trolling the left, and they rarely fail to take his bait. With a mix of bravado and media savvy, he posts outrageous memes, cracks offhand comments, or embraces over-the-top imagery, knowing full well it will dominate headlines and send progressive commentators into a frenzy.
Time and again, his provocations trigger outsized reactions from the left, who often respond with outrage and alarm, unintentionally amplifying his message. In doing so, Trump turns their indignation into fuel, keeping himself at the center of public discourse while exposing just how easily rattled his critics can be.
When asked by a reporter last week who he’d like to see chosen as the next pope, Trump—clearly joking—quipped, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice.”
On Friday night, he doubled down on his remark by posting an AI-generated photo of himself in full papal regalia to his Truth Social account—and promptly sent the internet into a frenzy.
Some commenters actually believed Trump was serious and were quick to condemn him. Most saw that he was simply joking and pointed out the irony of it.
Rabid anti-Trumper Bill Kristol took a shot at Vice President J.D. Vance, who is Catholic: He wrote: “Hey, @JDVance, you fine with this disrespect and mocking of the Holy Father?”
Vance shot back at Kristol, who is known for his hawkish reputation, with fire.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took to X to say she and her fellow Catholics were deeply offended by the photo as they continue to mourn their beloved Pope Francis.
Users on X wasted no time in calling out her hypocrisy.
Next came former Republican National Committee Chairman and current MSNBC host Michael Steele, who is about as conservative as Jennifer Rubin: “During this period of Novemdiales (mourning the loss of Pope Francis) I’ll set this offense aside because Trump in his narcissism gets off on our being offended.” Please.
Then far-left, 23-year-old TikTok influencer Harry Sisson jumped into the fray with his stupidity.
And the Republicans against Trump account weighed in: “Donald Trump just posted a photo of himself as the Pope. It’s full-on lunacy at this point.”
The Left walks right into Trump’s trap every single time. They simply can’t help themselves.
Meanwhile, Republicans found Trump’s photograph to be hilarious.
And I’ve saved the best for last.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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