Trump’s Joke and the Emergence of the First American Pope

Published By Jerry Adesewo On May 9, 2025

Trump’s Joke and the Emergence of the First American Pope

Jerry Adesewo

It was the kind of headline that made angels drop their harps: America now has a Pope. And not just any pope—Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, a missionary-turned-Vatican administrator from Chicago, is the first American to ascend to the Holy See.

But as white smoke rose over the Sistine Chapel, a thicker cloud of suspicion gathered below, not least thanks to a characteristic “joke” from former U.S. President Donald J. Trump:
“America first. Even with the Vatican. I told you. The hat fits, folks!” he posted gleefully on Truth Social.

While meant as jest (we hope), Trump’s bluster has, unintentionally or not, cast a long, orange-tinted shadow over what should have been a moment of global ecclesiastical gravitas. After all, what does it mean when the holiest seat in Catholicism becomes the butt of a geopolitical punchline?

More worrying is how the world interpreted it—not as comic relief, but as confirmation of what many feared: that even the sacred conclave is not immune to global power politics.

To the dismay of many Catholics—especially across Africa, home to some of the most vibrant and fastest-growing Catholic populations—the choice of an American pope feels less like divine inspiration and more like a subtle nod to geopolitical convenience. Several African cardinals were quietly tipped as frontrunners, lauded for their pastoral depth and grassroots experience. But once again, they watched the tiara pass them by, replaced by a candidate whose nationality alone now risks reducing his spiritual authority to political symbolism.

Let’s be clear: Pope Leo XIV, by all accounts, is a decent, learned and deeply pastoral man. But in a world where American influence already saturates everything from Hollywood to hamburger menus, his elevation has stirred unease about the Vatican’s perceived surrender to soft imperialism. The Vatican says the Holy Spirit guided the cardinals’ hands; critics worry the Spirit may have had to consult Washington first.

Meanwhile, Trump’s crowing—meant to troll but landing like gospel among his followers—raises difficult questions. Did his administration’s cozying up to conservative Catholic factions play any role in the wider Church’s power dynamics? Can a process meant to be free of worldly interference truly stand untouched in a world obsessed with influence and image?

More pointedly: what does it say to faithful Catholics from the Global South—those who pray under leaking roofs, who build churches with mud and miracles—when the keys of Peter are once again handed to someone from the world’s most privileged patch of earth?

In this era of post-truth and post-reverence, where even sacred rituals are sucked into the culture war vortex, Trump’s quip may not just be a joke—it might be the spoiler alert of a deeper unraveling.

For now, Pope Leo XIV begins his papacy under the weight of not just expectation, but implication.

Let’s pray that beneath the MAGA murk and media buzz, there’s still room for a little divine clarity.

Trump’s Joke and the Emergence of the First American Pope