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<\/p>\nDonald Trump\u2019s tribute to the late Pope Francis was, as expected, anything but traditional \u2014 and the internet had a lot to say about it.<\/p>\n
On April 21, news of Pope Francis\u2019s death sent waves of grief across the world. Leaders from every continent issued statements of mourning, and among them was former U.S. President Donald Trump. His message, shared via Truth Social, began in familiar fashion: \u201cRest in peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!\u201d He also called for flags across the U.S. to be flown at half-staff in honor of the pontiff\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n
However, it wasn\u2019t the condolence post that made headlines \u2014 it was Trump\u2019s tone when he announced that he and Melania would attend the funeral. In his characteristically upbeat style, he wrote: \u201cMelania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!\u201d<\/p>\n
What followed was a firestorm of reactions. Critics and commentators on X (formerly Twitter) didn\u2019t hold back. \u201cWe look forward to being there\u201d struck many as oddly chipper \u2014 more fitting for a garden party or a gala than a papal funeral. \u201cBold choice of words for a funeral,\u201d one user remarked, while another joked, \u201cHe thinks he\u2019s headed to Coachella, not Vatican City.\u201d Sarcasm flowed freely. \u201cMaybe he\u2019ll review the wine list while he\u2019s there,\u201d one person tweeted. Another dryly added, \u201cCan\u2019t wait to see what he wears.\u201d<\/p>\n
But others defended the sentiment, pointing out that presence and respect mattered more than phrasing. \u201cAt least he\u2019s attending. That\u2019s more than many expected,\u201d one user wrote, while another noted, \u201cTone aside, it\u2019s right that world leaders show up for a man like Pope Francis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their relationship, after all, was never simple.<\/p>\n
When Francis was first elected in 2013, Trump expressed admiration, tweeting that the new Pope\u2019s humility was admirable \u2014 and that it reminded him of himself. It was classic Trump: part praise, part self-congratulatory wink.<\/p>\n
But over the years, ideological rifts deepened. One of the most public clashes came in 2016, when Pope Francis questioned the morality of building border walls. Without naming Trump directly, the pontiff suggested that those who \u201conly think about building walls, not bridges, are not Christian.\u201d Trump\u2019s response was swift and sharp. \u201cFor a religious leader to question a person\u2019s faith is disgraceful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite the friction, the two met in person during Trump\u2019s visit to the Vatican in 2017. Afterward, Trump described the encounter as \u201cfantastic,\u201d though the meeting was brief and visibly awkward. Over time, their paths diverged further, with Pope Francis continuing to advocate for immigrants, climate action, and social justice \u2014 issues that often stood in contrast to Trump\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
Even after returning to office in 2025, Trump\u2019s renewed immigration crackdowns drew criticism from the Pope, who condemned mass deportations as \u201ca disgrace.\u201d Still, Trump\u2019s statement following the Pope\u2019s passing struck a more measured tone, and his decision to attend the funeral shows at least a ceremonial level of respect.<\/p>\n
Vice President JD Vance, who had a more personal relationship with Pope Francis, also posted a tribute. Having met the Pope just a day before his death, Vance remembered the encounter with reverence. \u201cHe was obviously very ill,\u201d Vance wrote, \u201cbut I\u2019ll always remember him for a homily he gave during the early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, the world prepares for the formal goodbye. The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis\u2019s funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10 AM local time in St. Peter\u2019s Square. Afterward, his body will be taken to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore \u2014 a humble request he made personally in his final will, preferring it to the traditional burial site at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s trip to Rome will also mark his first official foreign visit since reclaiming the presidency. And though the former president is unlikely to blend into the somber proceedings, his presence will still be closely watched \u2014 both for diplomacy and for optics.<\/p>\n
As the world prepares to say farewell to a spiritual leader who often challenged political power with moral clarity, Trump\u2019s involvement \u2014 and his choice of words \u2014 serve as yet another reminder of the unique role he continues to play on the global stage.<\/p>\n
So the question remains: Was the phrase \u201clooking forward to being there\u201d a tone-deaf gaffe, or just another example of Trump being, well, Trump?<\/p>\n
We\u2019d love to hear what you think \u2014 is intent more important than tone? Or should words always match the weight of the moment?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Donald Trump\u2019s tribute to the late Pope Francis was, as expected, anything but traditional \u2014 and the internet had a lot to say about it. On April 21, news of Pope Francis\u2019s death sent waves of grief across the world. Leaders from every continent issued statements of mourning, and among them was former U.S. President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7038","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-daily-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7038"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7040,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7038\/revisions\/7040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailynewsintime.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}