Trump Jokes He'd 'Like to Be Pope' After Falling Asleep at Pope Francis' Funeral

President Donald Trump revealed his "number one choice" on Tuesday for who should succeed Pope Francis: himself.

"I'd like to be pope. That would be my number one choice," he said, immediately admitting he was joking. "No, I don't know. I have no preference."

His indifference to the Papacy follows speculation that he fell asleep during the funeral service for Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at 88-years-old.

Raised Presbyterian, Trump revealed in 2020 that he identifies as a non-denominational Christian. First Lady Melania Trump, however, revealed that she was Catholic in 2017 when she brought rosary beads to the Vatican to be blessed by Pope Francis.

The couple returned to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, their first time abroad as a pair during Trump's second term. Donning a navy suit amid a sea of attendees clad in black, Trump raised eyebrows as he seemed to doze off during the service.

The quick snooze and fashion faux pas punctuate a fraught relationship between the two leaders. When Trump ran on the promise of building a wall along the US-Mexico border, Pope Francis said, "A person who thinks only about building walls and not building bridges is not a Christian."

An resolute advocate for immigrants, earlier this year, Pope Francis called the Trump administration's mass deportations "a disgrace." Undeterred, the Trump administration announced that churches would no longer be off-limits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which were previously designated as "sensitive areas." The change has been challenged in court and litigation remains ongoing.

Trump butted heads with other denominations as well. On his Inauguration Day, Bishop Marian Edgar Budde implored Trump to "have mercy" on immigrant and LGBTQ children. He described her as "nasty" and "not compelling or smart," calling for a public apology on his Truth Social account, which she did not provide.

Despite not putting his own name in the Papal hat, Trump did weigh in on the conclave. "I must say we have a cardinal who happens to be out of a place called New York who's very good," seemingly referring to Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York.

The president will not have a final say in selecting the next Pope, which will begin May 7 as all cardinals below the age of 80 convene in the Sistine Chapel gather to hold a secret vote.