OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:02 AM – Saturday, April 26, 2025
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have attended Pope Francis’ funeral along with many other world leaders and dignitaries.
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The Trumps were given front-row seats at the ceremony held on Saturday afternoon for the Pope, who died at the age of 88 earlier this week.
Trump, dressed in a navy suit and matching tie, and Melania, clad in a black lace outfit, were seated between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian President Alar Karis.
The couple landed in Italy on Friday for Trump’s first overseas visit of his second term, coinciding with Melania’s 55th birthday, which was also on Saturday.
“She’s got a working birthday,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday.
When asked about their celebration plans, Trump joked, “I’ll take her to dinner on the Boeing — dinner on Air Force One.”
Before traveling to Rome, Trump paid tribute to the late pope, calling him a “good man” who “loved the world.”
“I thought he was a truly wonderful guy,” Trump said.
The president and first lady, along with the U.S. delegation, were seated near the representatives from Ethiopia and Eswatini, following Vatican tradition that arranges leaders alphabetically by their country’s French name.
The U.S. delegation featured Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), and Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.).
Former President Joe Biden was also present at the funeral, accompanied by former First Lady Jill Biden.
A host of other world leaders attended the service, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Altogether, delegations from 164 countries were represented at the funeral.
During the end of his life, Francis battled multiple health issues that left him weakened and often forced him to rely on a wheelchair or canes.
Most recently, he struggled with diverticulitis and bronchitis, and at times, he needed aides to read his speeches since he was frequently out of breath.
The Pope also spent much of the last two months of his life in the hospital battling pneumonia.
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