Trump told reporters Tuesday that he’s his “number one choice” to succeed Pope Francis before endorsing Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ President Donald Trump’s humorous bid to be the next pope has at least one supporter: Sen. Lindsey Graham.ย
Trump joked with reporters that he’d like to be pope, calling himself his “number one choice” to succeed Pope Francis. Trump made the lighthearted remark before leaving the White House for a rally celebrating his first 100 days in Michigan.ย
He said he doesnโt have a preference on who should succeed Pope Francis, but he put in a plug for Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.
Trump and Dolan saw each other at Francisโ funeral in Rome last Saturday.
โI must say we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York whoโs very good, so weโll see what happens,โ Trump said.
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, shared support for Trump as pope on X.ย
“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,” Graham wrote, telling followers the first pope-president combination has many upsides and to watch for the white smoke in the Vatican.ย
Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days so they can get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.
The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francisโ funeral Saturday. In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted questions about the mood inside and whether there was unity. A reporter for a satirical Italian television program asked whether an Italian cardinal who has been convicted by the Vatican criminal court on finance-related charges would be allowed to vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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