President Donald Trump was mocked for wearing inappropriate clothes to the pope’s funeral, and he also exhibited some uncommon behaviors. His wife luckily helped him avoid breaking a particular Vatican funeral protocol.
On April 21, 2025, Vatican News announced Pope Francis’s death. Since then, his funeral has been held, with the US president experiencing some awkward moments during the ceremony, only for his wife to save the day at a crucial point.
Vatican News, a service provided by the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication about Pope Francis, the Vatican, and the Church, shared a photo of the pope while announcing that he died on Easter Monday at age 88.
According to the death report issued by a Vatican doctor, the pope died at 7:35 a.m. at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, where he lived. The report also revealed that a cerebral stroke, followed by a coma and “irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse,” caused his death.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. pic.twitter.com/jUIkbplVi2
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 21, 2025
The image shared by Vatican News included the pope’s birth year, 1932, and the year of his death. Upon hearing about his passing, many mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square, holding rosaries and praying for him.
Reports shared that one mourner was seen wrapped in Argentina’s flag, reflecting the late pope’s homeland. Other people cried, while some simply stared at the empty balcony where Francis had blessed the crowd the previous day.
One mourner said, “I am sad,” and added, “He was very, very important.” After the rosary, those gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted into applause. Among the people who attended the pope’s funeral were US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump.
Melania’s Funeral Attendance on Her Birthday
Upon hearing about the pope’s death, the US president posted a tribute on Truth Social: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” He said they looked forward to attending.
Donald first announced that he and his wife would attend the funeral shortly after Pope Francis’s death. Using the same social media platform, he wrote, “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome.”
Pope Francis’s funeral was held on April 26, a date that happened to coincide with Melania’s 55th birthday. The first lady spent her special day in Rome attending the late pontiff’s funeral.
Multiple sources revealed that Melania is “religious” in private and “quiet” about her faith, but felt “honored” to attend the funeral despite the timing. A political source noted that it was “not a chore for her to go to the funeral.”
A social source agreed, noting that even though it is her duty as a world leader’s spouse to show up for the service, she had “no issue” with spending her birthday morning there. The insider said, “She will make the most of her birthday in the time frame after the event.”
Melania is the first practicing Catholic US first lady since the late Jackie Kennedy. The social source told the publication, “She respected the pope,” and added, “It is a sad time for Catholics around the world, and the first lady is honored to go to the funeral.”
Melania met the first pope from Latin America in 2017 when she and her husband took their first trip abroad as first lady and president. At that time, she presented Francis with rosary beads, which were then perceived as a confirmation of her faith.
A source close to the family shared that the first lady “admired” the pope, especially for “how he was loved by so many different kinds of people.” The insider also revealed that Melania is open-minded and respects different people and their opinions, adding, “They shared a love for children and their welfare.”
The pope’s funeral was seen as a significant event for her, “a life experience few are able to share.” While attending the funeral, her husband had some awkward moments.
Donald’s Awkward Moments at the Pope’s Funeral
The Trumps joined other world leaders, monarchs, heads of state, and throngs of mourners at the square outside St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their last respects. People like the British Royal Family’s Prince William, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, French President Emmanuel Macron, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy all attended.
Before the Mass, Melania and her husband stopped to view the pope’s coffin. While the first lady wore all black, including a traditional veil, her husband earned criticism for wearing a midnight blue suit to the funeral.
The 78-year-old also wore a matching tie and an American flag pin, making him stand out in the front row from the other world leaders gathered in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square. However, he was not the only one; several other attendees also wore suits in colors other than black, including ties in shades of blue, red, pink, and more.
Despite the different looks, attendees were not necessarily breaking protocol. According to an insider, the Vatican does not list a funeral dress code on its website, so attire for the ceremony was left up to individuals.
A Vatican source said, “Attendees wore what they considered to be appropriate attire for such a solemn occasion.” Donald was not the only attendee criticized for being disrespectful because of his choice of attire.
Both former US President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy were criticized by netizens for wearing no tie and a blue tie, respectively, while Prince William wore a navy suit to the ceremony. Criticizing Donald’s look, one person shared a picture of him at the event, writing, “The only man at the Pope’s funeral wearing a blue suit.”
However, someone who replied to the post did not have an issue with the dress code, “He looks really good!” A netizen who also shared the same sentiment asked, “He was wearing a suit what’s [sic] the problem?”
However, a critic questioned, “Did he even has [sic] a black suit?” One unimpressed netizen laughed while noting, “He Wore a Blue Suit at a Funeral.” Defending the US president, someone else remarked, “I watched the funeral and their was [sic] a lot of people in blue suits.”
The only man at the Pope's funeral wearing a blue suit.https://t.co/4ila1FbNQB pic.twitter.com/X8LgMsuKx1
— Annie van Leur (@AnnevanLeur) April 26, 2025
Donald also stood out for his behavior at the funeral. At one point, he was filmed using his mobile phone and placing a piece of chewing gum in his mouth during the service. Melania came to her husband’s rescue during a certain part of the ceremony.
During the three-hour Catholic Mass, there was a point when the congregation was invited to “offer each other a sign of peace” by shaking each other’s hands. Footage showed Donald watching as everyone participated in the ritual without getting involved.
According to a lip reader, his wife had to help him. Forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling revealed that the first lady instructed him to start shaking hands. Hickling said Melania whispered to her husband, “You should do it,” before repeating herself.
Donald reportedly replied, “Oh, alright,” before sticking out his hand to greet Estonia’s president, Alar Karis, and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. He then turned to the French president before grudgingly offering his hand.
The pair shared a prolonged handshake as Donald Trump avoided what would have been a terrible blunder. The ceremony started at 10 a.m. local time before a procession to St. Mary Major, a basilica in central Rome that the late pontiff visited frequently during his life.
The late head of the Catholic Church had asked to be buried in a tomb inside the basilica in a simple wooden coffin, abandoning the traditional triple-casket arrangement. The basilica is smaller than the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s, where 91 of his predecessors are buried.
