Donald & Melania Trump's Seats At Pope Francis' Funeral Are Sure To Rip His Ego Apart

As the Vatican prepares for Pope Francis' funeral tomorrow, April 26, 2025, past seating arrangements suggest that U.S. President Donald Trump will not be granted a prominent spot in the pews of St. Peter's Basilica. According to The Telegraph, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will likely be placed in the third row during the Pope's funeral, a hit to Trump's big ego that he won't take lightly. As per the last funeral of a sitting pope, which was held in honor of John Paul II in 2005, the first two rows are designated for Catholic royalty and non-Catholic royalty; the now-King Charles sat in second priority seating in 2005 in place of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. The third row was occupied by foreign dignitaries, including the then-U.S. President George W. Bush.

One can assume Trump will be upset by this arrangement, considering the Republican president mocked his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for where he was seated during the 2022 funeral of the British Queen. "If I were president, they wouldn't have sat me back there—and our Country would be much different than it is right now!" he wrote on Truth Social at the time, adding a follow-up: "In Real Estate, like in Politics and in Life, LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!!!"

While Catholics around the globe mourn the passing of Pope Francis, who died Monday, April 21, 130 of the world's leaders are confirmed to attend the high-profile funeral. Aside from Donald and Melania Trump, who are heading to Rome today, foreign delegates, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are slated to attend. If the Vatican knows any better, they will not sit Trump and Zelenskyy beside each other, given their recent hostility after an incredibly tense meeting at the White House in February.

Zelenskyy isn't alone on Trump's list of detractors; the American leader's attendance at Pope Francis' funeral is a reminder of their stark differences. The pontiff, known for his humility and work with the marginalized, had practically nothing in common with Trump, whom Francis criticized during the president's first term for his harsh security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to The New York Times. Even so, Trump honored the late Pope by ordering all White House American flags to be flown at half-mast. "I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations," he wrote on Truth Social Monday (via The White House).