Washington DC - Vice President JD Vance recently weighed in as his boss President Donald Trump faces backlash for sharing a meme of himself as the new pope.

On Saturday, Billy Kristol, editor-at-large at The Bulwark, asked Vance, who is a Catholic convert, in an X post if he was "fine with this disrespect and mocking of the Holy Father?"

Vance surprisingly responded, dismissing the president's meme as a "joke" and deflecting to an unrelated issue.

"As a general rule, I'm fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen," Vance wrote.

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Last Friday, Trump told reporters he would like to be the next pope, just days before cardinals are due to start the conclave to elect the successor of Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Later that day, Trump shared an AI-generated image on social media of himself wearing papal regalia, including white robes, a gold crucifix pendant, and the miter hat, as he pointed to the sky.

The "joke" has received tons of backlash, with many criticizing the timing, describing it as sacrilegious, or accusing him of mocking religion.

Vance's response was met with similar criticisms, with users pointing out his hypocrisy, as Trump has been escalating several foreign conflicts since his re-election.

Other users also revived a viral internet joke that Vance "killed" Pope Francis, as he met with him just a few hours before he passed.