Donald Trump is the talk of the internet once again after he claimed to have invented a word that has actually been around for centuries.
After the Vatican announced that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost had been elected as the first-ever American pope — taking the name Pope Leo XIV — Trump quickly reacted with congratulations.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
So far, pretty standard — until he followed up with a post that made some bold implications.
In a second Truth Social post shared yesterday (May 12), Trump seemed to imply that his own popularity with Catholic American voters may have somehow played a role in the Vatican’s decision-making.
“So funny to watch old timer Martha Raditz [correctly spelt Raddatz] on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump,” he wrote, referencing Raddatz’s interview with Cardinal Blasé Cupich on This Week.
“It came out of nowhere, but it was on her Trump Deranged Mind,” Trump continued. “Remember, I did WIN the Catholic Vote, by a lot!
“Bob Iger should do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low rated shows. It’s time for change. MAGA!!!”
There is no evidence that Trump had any influence on the conclave.
If that wasn’t enough eyebrow-raising for one day, Trump made headlines again during a White House press conference while discussing his administration’s new plan to regulate drug pricing.
“The rest of the world is going to have to pay a bit more, and America’s going to pay a lot less. Again, because it is a smaller population than when you think of the whole world,” he explained.
Then came the kicker: “So basically what we are doing is equalizing. It’s a new word that I came up with, which I think is probably the best word. We’re gonna equalize. We’re all gonna pay the same. We’re gonna pay what Europe’s gonna pay.”
The word “equalizing” dates back to 1559, according to Merriam-Webster, and Trump isn’t that old.
People on social media let their thoughts known, with one saying: “I’m sure I’d heard that ‘equalise’ word before?!”
A second said: “There was a TV show in the 80s named The Equalizer. Did he invent the word in 1983 and is just reminiscing?”
But none of this should come as any surprise, after Trump claimed that he should be the next Pope and even shared an AI image of himself dressed in the attire.
The President denied that he had any involvement with the image, but it was shared on his official personal accounts.
