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Topics: Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Politics, US News, World News
Stefania Sarrubba
Topics: Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Politics, US News, World News
Donald Trump has given a controversial answer when he was asked why he would be attending the funeral of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis' funeral services took place today (April 26) in Vatican City, with political leaders as well as people from all over the world gathered in St Peter's Square to pay their respects.
Speaking on Air Force One on his way to the Vatican, the US President was quizzed by Fox News as to why he felt it was important to attend the service.
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His response was branded 'disrespectful' and worth of a 'quintessential narcissist' on Twitter, where the interview clip has been circulating.
"I just thought it was out of respect, you know," Trump told the reporter, proceeding to note how he 'won the Catholic vote' during the last election.
"I won the Catholic vote. And I think it's the first time that ever happened, where a Republican won the vote," he said, adding: "And I won it by a lot."
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"You know, I have great relationships to the Catholics, very simple," he said.
Trump said he would go out of respect for his Catholic voters after they supported him in the last presidential election.
"I won the Catholic vote, we got 56 percent of the vote, I don't know why we didn't get more, actually," he said.
"I don't know how they [the Democrats] got any, but we did well with the Catholic vote.
"My relationship is very good, so therefore, you know, I think it's appropriate."
Trump's response was met with mixed reactions, with some commentators on social media blasting him for making the Pope's funeral 'about him'.
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"It's always about him. So if he didn't win the Catholic vote he wouldn't go? Lol," one person noted.
"Unbelievable yet believable because it’s always him first," was another comment.
"I hope the Pope comes back to life for one second and says f**k off... this is MY funeral you narcissist!" a third user wrote.
"Figures he makes it about himself. It isn't about him at all. It is about Pope Francis and his legacy," someone else said.
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"He's our representative. If a multitude of Catholics voted for him it means he has a responsibility to adhere to their requests and wishes. He is our employee after all," a fifth commentator offered.
According to VoteCast (via AP News), Trump did get the majority of Catholic votes, earning the support of 54 percent (not 56, as he stated in the interview) of Catholic voters.
VoteCast also highlighted a racial divide, with 6 out of 10 white Catholic voters favouring Trump over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, while 6 out of 10 Latino Catholics voted for Harris.
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Trump's attitude was also criticised during the Pope's funeral, as his choice to skip the customary black attire in favour of a blue suit came under fire.
The Pope's funeral proceedings began today, with Trump joined by his wife Melania Trump as well as several foreign leaders, including President of France, Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Francis, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away at the age of 88 years old on April 21, as confirmed by the Vatican in a statement from Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell.