What will the Antichrist look like? According to Western thought, an authoritarian king – or the pope

The US presidency and the papacy intersected on May 3 when Donald Trump shared an AI-generated picture of himself dressed as the pope on Truth Social. The White House later reposted the image. Trump was depicted sitting in a lavish golden chair, adorned in a white cassock and a bishop’s hat, with his raised forefinger. He clarified to reporters that he had no involvement and that it was done in jest by someone else.

This portrayal of “Pope Donald I” holds historical importance, although the White House and Trump likely did not realize it. It merges the two primary conceptions of the figure of the Antichrist in Western thought: that of the pope and the authoritarian, despotic world emperor.

Trump’s previous statements about aspiring to be pope and claiming to run the country and the world further add to this juxtaposition of pope and world emperor. The concept of the Antichrist, as outlined in biblical writings and historical interpretations, signifies a malevolent figure who will be vanquished by the forces of good.

Over the centuries, various leaders have been likened to the Antichrist, including Trump. Historically, the papacy has also been associated with the Antichrist, particularly during the Protestant Reformation era when figures like Martin Luther rejected the pope as the true Antichrist.

The notion of the Antichrist has long been intertwined with Christian beliefs about the end times and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The image of the US president embodying both the imperial and papal Antichrist archetypes suggests a significant shift in the global order as we have known it.