Wait, Did Lindsey Graham Really Suggest Trump Should Be the Next Pope?

Former President Donald Trump has broken barriers in more ways than one. He first stunned the world in 2017 when he became President of the United States without any prior political experience. Then he did it again, winning the 2024 election despite being found guilty on dozens of criminal charges. Now, Trump’s name is being tossed around just as the conclave is set to begin to elect a new pope following Pope Francis’s death on April 21, 2025.

So where did this rumor come from? Senator Lindsey Graham’s name is being tied to the idea of Trump becoming pope, but did he actually suggest that? And more importantly: Can Trump even be pope?

Well, sort of. Lindsey Graham did say he was excited about the idea of Trump becoming the next pope and even encouraged the papal conclave to consider it. But his comment came after Trump half-joked about wanting the job. So if Trump was kidding, was Graham?

For context, the whole "Pope Trump" idea started when a reporter asked him who he thought would make a good pope. Trump responded, "As pope? I'd like to be pope ... That would be my No. 1 choice." He then laughed it off with, "No, I don't know. I have no preference," though he did toss out one name — a "very good" cardinal from New York, referring to Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

Naturally, it makes sense that a former U.S. president might recommend someone from his own country to lead the Catholic Church … right?

After Trump made those comments, Graham shared the clip to X (formerly Twitter) and captioned it: "I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope." While he did call it a "dark horse candidate," he still urged "the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!"

He concluded his post with: "The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke… Trump MMXXVIII!" While most people picked up on the humor in Trump’s voice, the same couldn’t be said for Graham. So, maybe, he really does think Trump would make an ideal pope.

Technically, Trump could become the next pope, but only if he divorced Melania, converted from Christianity to Catholicism, and got baptized. That’s because the pope can’t be married and must abstain from sexual relations. Even if Trump were willing to do that, there are other barriers that could stand in his way of being elected.

The rules for becoming pope are broad rather than strict. While the Catholic Church has followed the same practices for centuries, usually choosing from experienced cardinals devoted to the Church, it’s not a hard rule.

Any Catholic layman could, in theory, be elected, according to Eternal Word Television Network. But actually getting a two-thirds vote from the cardinals? That’s extremely rare.