He went viral recently for holding a baseball bat on a plane, which viewers at the time didn't realize had just been given to him by someone who wanted to honor his love of the game.
Now, he's gone viral again, this time for his shoes.
For a documentary that's currently in production about Pope Leo XIV's life, called Leone a Roma, photographs and videos are being collected, a few of which were taken on World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008.
In one photo, the Pope is seen walking across a lawn with his head down, and a pair of white and black Nike sneakers is visible beneath his robes.
Viewers were tickled by the photo, because it's yet another great example of Pope Leo XIV living his life, not just as a fellow human being with human interests, but also very much as an American with American tastes.
Just like with the baseball bat, the jokes and memes were quick to pour in, and they did not disappoint.
Maybe it's just a pair of black and white Nike sneakers, but since the appropriate attire for Catholic church officials is well-shined black dress shoes or dress flats in a color and fabric that matches their robes, seeing a pair of Nike sneakers on Pope Leo's feet is surprising and even funny.
Though this moment pre-dates his time as the Pope by over 15 years, it's still a great reminder of this particular Pope's unique sense of style, personality, and humor, which has been a joy for people everywhere to witness, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Part of the Pope's role is to unite the world and bring it closer together, and maybe there's a small shot of that happening, one internet meme at a time.
On Monday, Trump hosted an event honoring law enforcement officials—just not the ones his followers attacked at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. During his remarks, Trump jumped from non sequitur to non sequitur as he usually does, like when he attacked former Democratic President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris during Easter remarks to children.
Trump decided an event for law enforcement was the perfect time to justify why he was remaking the presidential residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the tacky, gold plated style Trump uses in his own homes.
Trump claimed:
"This place was not properly taken care of. I was told by my wife you have to act presidential, so don’t use foul language. I won’t, therefore—normally, I would have said it was a sh*t house, but I don’t want to say that."
You can see Trump's comments here:
Trump added:
"The columns were falling down. The plaster was falling off... This place is tippy top now. Including all the brand new beautiful stone—I paid for it myself—all of the stone, all of the different things we have, and we’re bringing the White House back to shape."
"I spent a lot of time on bringing this house back, because this house was in very bad shape."
But Trump didn't repair columns or plaster. Instead he added or replaced features to reflect his idea of style.
Then Trump touted his vanity project ballroom that he claimed for months would be privately funded.
Now he's asking taxpayers to foot the $400 million-$1 billion ballroom bill, justifying the cost with a conveniently timed violent incident in an area adjacent to where Trump was.
The POTUS declared:
“And the big thing is, we’re building a ballroom in the back, which will be, I think, the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world. You’ll never see anything like it."
"And it will also be very safe. It’s going to be a very safe ballroom. It’s got glass this thick, it’s amazing, the glass is this thick, like six inches thick, and you look through it, and you can see as perfectly as though it weren’t there."
"Now, how they do that, I don’t know, but it’s at the highest level of safety, and you won’t have a situation like you had two weeks ago on Saturday night [in the lobby of the hotel where Trump was attending his first ever White House Correspondents' Dinner as President]."
People reacted viscerally to Trump's latest declaration of why the White House needs to look like a casino from the 1980s.
@AhmedBaba_/X
@Greenshades9/X
@masonisonx/X
@NikonD330Fan/X
@elnopower/X
@ParapenteJohn/X
@andrewonseeair/Bluesky
@emer.net; @spryoldlorax/Bluesky
@dansynth54/Bluesky
@RibGoneRogue/X
@lizzicochrane/X
@rowast.com/Bluesky
@pinkmouse/Bluesky
@vicky8651/Bluesky
@fireinsp/Bluesky
Trump's personal style has long been considered tacky, a cheap imitation of European palaces, that Trump thinks will denote a level of class and refinement.
In his mind, slathering everything in gold makes him classy instead of a pathetic wannabe royal.
Based on an analysis of public comments conducted by the New York Times, 98% were negative regarding Trump's changes with words like "gaudy," "cheap," and "appalling" being used, with many focused on Trump's taste level.
