Trump attended the funeral of Pope Francis last weekend, during which he also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Tuesday returning from Francis’ funeral, Trump joked to reporters outside the White House that he “wanted to be the pope,” adding: “That would be my first choice.”

He then said he "don't favor" the person who was eventually selected.

Vice President JD Vance converted to the Catholic Church in 2019 and met with Roman Catholics the day before his death.

According to a death certificate issued by the Vatican, Francis died of a stroke, which eventually led to irreversible heart failure.

Posts on AI-generated images sparked widespread social media responses, with some users defending them as a joke while others strongly condemn the images.

The New York Catholic Congress, which represents the bishop of the state, strongly condemned the post.

"There's nothing clever or interesting about this image," said an article on X.

"We just bury our beloved Pope Francis, and the Cardinal is about to enter a solemn meeting to elect St. Peter's new successor," the organization said.

"Don't laugh at us."

Outspoken Trump critic Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chairman, criticized the position and said “affirm how unpopular and powerless (Trump) is.”

Conservative commentator Bill Kristol, a Trump harsh critic, asked Vance in an article on X: “Hey, @jdvance, do you have this disrespect and ridicule of the Holy Father?”

Vance sent a reply to Kristol about X, which quoted Kristol as a supporter of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"As a general rule, I am well-informed to tell jokes, not unhappy with the people of the stupid war that killed thousands of fellow countrymen."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asked for criticism of the image, saying: "President Trump flew to Italy to pay tribute to Pope Francis and attended the funeral, and he has been a staunch champion of Catholics and religious freedom," said the Associated Press champion.

This is not the first time the White House has shared the controversial image of AI generated by Trump.

In February, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich released a Trump image after the administration removed from office to eliminate New York City's congestion pricing plan.

Trump calls himself king in the touted truth, saying that “congestion pricing is dead.”

"Manhattan and the entire New York City in New York," Trump wrote in "Social Truth" in February.

- CNBC and manganese Contributing to this story.