Trump at Funeral: Did He Upstage the Pope?

Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy asserted that former President Donald Trump overshadowed Pope Francis during the recent funeral events by engaging in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During a segment on Sunday, Campos-Duffy stated, “I think this is the takeaway from yesterday’s funeral: Donald Trump upstaged the Pope at the funeral.”

Co-host Charlie Hurt questioned the appropriateness of such an action at a funeral, to which Campos-Duffy responded, “It just happened,” before adding that the meeting occurred for a potentially positive reason, suggesting Pope Francis might have even approved.

Campos-Duffy elaborated, framing the encounter as a pursuit of peace, noting Pope Francis’s well-known anti-war stance and consistent calls for peaceful resolution. She characterized Trump’s decision to conduct diplomatic efforts even while attending the funeral as a demonstration of continued dedication to his objectives.

While the optics of conducting political meetings at a solemn event like a funeral are undeniably unusual, and potentially disrespectful to the solemnity of the occasion, Campos-Duffy’s attempt to reframe the situation as a proactive step towards peace is a notable interpretation. The claim that Trump “upstaged” the Pope is subjective, but the meeting undoubtedly drew attention away from the primary focus of the funeral services. Whether this constitutes a positive or negative outcome remains open to interpretation, but it’s clear the event sparked considerable discussion.