Ancil
The US president has been called a “disgrace” for allegedly “disrespecting” protocol during the funeral of Pope Francis.
Following a requiem ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica, the adored late pope was buried on Saturday, April 26, at Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the Vatican to pay their condolences after Pope Francis’ untimely death on Easter Monday.
The former head of the Catholic Church passed away at the age of 88 from a stroke and heart problems, and more than 200,000 people, including 50 world leaders and members of the royal family, attended the funeral procession in St. Peter’s Square.
The VIP lineup included Prince William, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump.
Trump in particular has been under fire for multiple instances of “disgraceful” behavior at the funeral, when it was implied that he attended primarily to win over his Catholic supporters.
These are all of Trump’s contentious incidents.
The blue suit worn by Trump
Trump chose to wear a bright navy suit, which made him stand out like a sore thumb among the sea of participants dressed in black, as viewers quickly pointed out.
Black, the color of mourning, is often worn during a Catholic funeral as a sign of respect for the recently departed.
Prince William also deviated from the all-black funeral dress by wearing a dark blue suit, so the POTUS wasn’t the only one.
Other religious persons, however, do not adhere to the same strict regulations, leading some to assume that Trump and William chose not to wear black as a sign of their non-Catholicism.
Standing on the carpet
Aside from his suit, Trump was also spotted approaching Pope Francis too closely, as evidenced by his toes crossing the carpeted area surrounding the coffin.
The Art Newspaper claims that because the carpet beneath the coffin represents the “holy ground” designated for the late pontiff, guests are not permitted to walk on it.
However, both Trump’s and Melania’s shoes tip-toed onto the hallowed mat rather than politely approaching the foot of the casket to halt for a minute of prayer and contemplation.
Other mourners, on the other hand, were able to avoid the coffin and the carpeting surrounding it.
Chewing gum, napping, and sending texts
You may tell you’re bored by a few subtle body language cues, as well as more obvious ones like chewing gum, falling asleep, and browsing through your phone.
Well, Trump seemingly managed to do all of the above during various points in the funeral after viewers spotted him using his phone, briefly ‘nodding off’ and later chewing gum, all while sitting in the front row.
The president was seen at one point leaning to type on his phone in his hand, then looking up and putting it away.
Later, while seated in the first row and in direct view of the cameras, he opened a packet of gum and threw it into his mouth. He was also observed catching several zz’s with his mouth open and his eyes closed.
Trump was the only person saw eating and sleeping, but it’s important to note that other people were also using their phones during the ceremony, and several of them took pictures of the pope’s coffin as it passed.
Leaving early
Trump also didn’t waste any time in leaving the pope’s burial early; as watchers observed, he left quickly to return to the United States when the service was over.
On social media, many were equally eager to criticize the president’s actions during the funeral.
“Of course Trump is the only jacka** wearing a blue suit and blue tie to a funeral….such an embarrassment,” one person said.
“Donald Trump couldn’t even be respectful and wear a black suit to Pope Francis’ funeral like the rest of world leaders. He always has to stick out and try and be the center of attention,” raged another.
A third chimed: “Trump at the Pope’s funeral. No traditional black suit, hunched over and sleeping! Just blasphemous!”
Meanwhile, a fourth summed the whole debacle up, writing: “Trump fell asleep at the Pope’s funeral, he walked on the rug that was under the casket (a big no no), refused to wear a dark suit, said he was looking forward to a fun trip (it’s a freaking funeral, nimrod) and left well before it was over.
“Sheesh.”
