Following the religious leader’s death on April 21, funeral services for Pope Francis, the former head of the Catholic Church, commenced today. Hundreds of thousands of people came in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square to pay their respects, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Prince William.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who are leaving Washington, D.C. on Friday, were also present. Trump was heard making a specific “seven-word comment” to his wife while in Vatican City, but Melania was also seen purportedly asking to her husband that he be more polite. According to reports, throughout the two-hour event, participants are invited to make a “sign of peace” by shaking hands with their neighbours.
Lip reading expert Nicola Hickling of Lip Reader Limited, speaking on behalf of Oddspedia, told the Express that Melania turned to Trump and said, “You should go do it.” According to the expert, Melania repeated herself before Trump’s reported response: “Oh, alright.” The president then shook hands with French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Given that the US president has put high tariffs on nations throughout the world—a trade war that Trump felt forced to bring up in the run-up to Francis’ funeral—it is not surprising that Trump is hesitant to participate in the “sign of peace.” Trump was labelled ‘disrespectful’ for his statements to the media as he left Washington, DC, and was chastised online for wearing a blue suit to the late pope’s funeral rather than the traditional black, which is considered as a symbol of respect and mourning.
Prior to his departure, Trump stated of Francis, “[He] loved the globe, and he was just a good man. I thought he was a terrific type of man.” He went on to claim that he would “meet with a lot” of other foreign leaders during the funeral. Trump told MSNBC, “It will be extremely intriguing. We’re going to meet with many of the foreign leaders who want to meet.”
“Trade talks are going quite nicely. I believe Russia and Ukraine are making progress, but at a shaky pace. And I think Iran is doing extremely well. Let’s see what happens. We’re working on a lot of stuff.”
