Trump as next pope? US President drops hint in viral video, ‘That would be my number one…’ | Watch

Shortly after attending Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, Donald Trump suggested he would be happy to be the next pope. On being asked about his thoughts on who should be leading the Catholic Church now that Francis is dead, Trump quipped, as seen in a video, “I'd like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice."

Trump later spoke in a more serious manner, opening up about Francis’ potential successors. The president said he has no particular favourite, but also mentioned Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, claiming he could be "very good" for the role.

"No, I don't know, I have no preference, guys. I might say we have a Cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who is very good. So we'll see what happens," Trump said.

‘I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind’

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham later came up with a suggestion for the College of Cardinals. “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. 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!” Graham wrote. “The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”

The Catholic Church is now looking for a new spiritual head. Very soon, around 135 Catholic cardinals will enter a secret conclave to choose the next pope. Never before has there been a pope from the US.

Dolan is part of the Archdiocese of New York, and was appointed as the Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. He attended the 2013 conclave that resulted in Francis’ election.

Francis died at the age of 88, just a day after Easter Sunday, following a prolonged battle with double pneumonia. The Vatican later announced that he died of a stroke and cardiac arrest.