US President Donald Trump posted on Friday to his platform "Truth Social" a picture of him born with artificial intelligence technology wearing the uniform of the Pope, after he had joked with journalists earlier that he would like to be the next Vatican Pope.

Trump appeared in the picture with the white papal robe while referring to his right rects towards the sky.

This week, when Trump was asked who would like to be the next Pope, days before the Cardinals started their closed meeting to elect a successor to Pope Francis, he answered, "I would like to become the Pope, this will be my first choice."

But the Catholic Conference of the New York state, which says it represents the bishops of the state in their dealings with the government, has criticized the image.

The Catholic Conference said in a post on his account on the X platform: “There is nothing smart or funny in this picture, sir.”

He added: "We have just buried Pope Francis, the beloved, and the crusher is about to enter an official complex to elect a new successor to Saint Peter. Do not make fun of us."

About 20 percent of Americans announce that they are Catholic, and opinion polls have indicated in November that almost 60 percent of them voted for Trump.

And when Trump nominated for the presidency for the first time in 2016, pledging his election campaigns to build a border wall with Mexico, Pope Francis was one of his most critical critics.

And at that time the Pope told reporters at the time, "Anyone, whatever it is, only seeks to build the walls, not bridges, not a Christian."

Trump had attended the funeral of Pope Francis last week, on his first foreign trip since he returned to power.

It is worth noting that the Vatican announced last Monday that the works of the closed Cardinate Complex to elect a successor to Pope Francis will start on the seventh of May.