Big Boy Trip

Even the Pope Seems Fascinated by Donald Trump’s Eating Habits

Pope Francis demonstrates both impressive knowledge of traditional Slovenian food and the potential for deploying a sick burn.
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Courtesy of Vatican Pool

Following an eventful trip to Israel, Donald Trump arrived in Italy on Tuesday to meet with Pope Francis. This visit is pretty standard for presidents; Barack Obama met Pope Benedict in July 2009, just months into the former’s presidency. The Trump visit followed many of the same beats, at least until references to Slovenian desserts got involved.

In the photo now making its way across the Internet, Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump both wear black veils comparable to the one Michelle Obama wore to meet the Pope in 2009. The veils and matching dresses follow the traditional dress code for women when meeting the Pope. Per CNN, Stephanie Grisham, the First Lady’s communications director, released the following statement on her sartorial choice for the Vatican: “Per Vatican protocol, women who have an audience with the Pope are required to wear long sleeves, formal black clothing, and a veil to cover the head.”

Dressed in their traditional veils, Ivanka, Melania, and Jared Kushner posed with solemn faces for a photo with the Pope and President Trump, who was beaming. But guess who else wasn’t smiling for the camera? If you guessed “Pope Francis” (or have seen the photo on every social-media platform), you’d be correct. This image is, of course, being compared to that of a jolly Pope Francis and Obama when they met in 2014.

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Trump knows his way around an awkward meeting with a foreign leader, though the Pope seems to have done his best to lighten the mood. Upon meeting Melania, the Pope reportedly asked her what she was feeding the president: “What do you give him, potica?” referencing a Slovenian treat. Melania replied, “Potica.”

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In truth, potica looks a lot tastier than the burnt steaks and potato chips Trump is known to prefer. Maybe the Pope really was trying to zing the president’s eating habits—or maybe he’s trying to stage a White House kitchen intervention.