By Katherine Tinsley
3:28am PDT, May 1, 2025
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"I was excited to hear that President [Donald] Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope," Lindsey Graham wrote on X on Tuesday, April 29.
"This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility," he continued. "The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!"
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Critics were irritated by Lindsey Graham's comments.
"This is pathetic. Graham is so addicted to being 'friends' with the president that he will utterly strip himself of anything resembling dignity or pride. What an embarrassing existence," author Mike Rothschild wrote.
"Can we send a rescue party? I've never seen a person so far up someone's a**," Pennsylvania state rep Malcolm Kenyatta replied.
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Social media users noted that Lindsey Graham was critical of Donald Trump following the January 6 insurrection, but he's seemingly changed his mind about the president.
"I had to verify with my own eyes that this was real. And I'm still thinking it can't be real," journalist Josh Marshall wrote.
"I saw a screenshot shot of this tweet and couldn't believe it was real. It's incredibly hard to argue against this being a cult. You know, because of the decades of documented idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, etc, on Trump's part," another user stated. "Graham claimed he was anti-Trump after January 6th."
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Lindsey Graham's comments followed Donald Trump joking about leading the Catholic church after attending Pope Francis' funeral.
"I'd like to be pope," Trump told Fox News. "That'd be my No. 1 choice."
