Trump blows off Joe Biden's attendance at Pope's funeral

President Donald Trump said a meeting with Joe Biden in Rome was ‘not high on my list’ as he shrugged off his former rival attending Pope Francis’ funeral.

He and first lady Melania Trump had late-night arrival in Rome ahead of Saturday’s state funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Trump revealed he hadn’t known that Biden and wife Jill Biden would also be at the basilica for the service.

‘Oh he is? I didn’t know,’ he told reporters on Air Force One.

When asked if he would meet with the former president, Trump replied: ‘It’s not high on my list. It’s really not.’

But the president will have some sit downs, including with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.

‘I’m going to be meeting with some people,’ Trump said of his trip, ‘and a little bit quickly. Frankly, it’s a little bit disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral at the pope.’

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He didn’t address if he’d met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also will be attending the funeral. Trump has been pushing hard for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. His envoy, Steve Wiskoff meet with Vladimir Putin earlier Friday in Moscow.

‘It’s a little tough because we don’t have much time,’ he said. The Trumps are spending less than 24 hours in the Eternal City, coming in specifically to honor the late pontiff.

‘I think we’re going to try and see a couple of people who are important to what we do,’ the president said without getting specific.

After the official arrival at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, the first couple headed toward the ambassador’s residence, Villa Taverna, where they’ll be spending the night.

There the president will take photos with members of the military before getting some sleep. The Trumps are scheduled to fly back to the United States as soon as the funeral is over.

The president described Pope Francis as a ‘good man. He loved the world actually. He was just a good man. I met him twice. I thought he was a fantastic kind of a guy.’

The Trumps will join a range of political and cultural figures at the Vatican on Saturday, including Prince William, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Javier Milei, the conservative President of Pope Francis’ native Argentina.

Delegations from about 130 countries, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs, will attend the state funeral.

But the president could find himself seated toward the back of the Basilica for the Catholic mass.

The Vatican has strict protocols and seating order, which was heavily enforced when Pope John Paul II was buried.

Catholic royalty, such as the Spanish King, get the first row.

Next come non-Catholic royals such as the Prince of Wales, who will attend the funeral on behalf of King Charles III, along with the King and Queen of Sweden and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway.

After them will be Trump and other world leaders.

The leaders will be seated alphabetically, according to the name of their country in French as that was the traditional language of diplomacy when the protocols were made.

The president, dressed casually Friday for the eight-hour flight with his tie off and shirt unbuttoned, told reporters on Air Force One he was attending the service partially because he won Catholic voters in the 2024 election.

Trump won Catholics by more than 120,000 votes when he faced former Vice President Kamala Harris.

It was Trump’s anti-abortion policies and his appointment of conservative judges onto the Supreme Court – who ultimately overturned Roe vs. Wade – that put the voting bloc in his corner.

In 2020, the Catholic vote was evenly split between Trump and Biden, who was the first Catholic president since John F. Kennedy.

Trump himself identifies as a ‘non-denominational Christian.’ First lady Melania Trump is Catholic.

The Trumps met Pope Francis during a visit to the Vatican in 2017 during the president’s first term.

At the time, Melania described it as an experience she would ‘never forget.’

She brought a pair of rosary beads for the pontiff to bless.

She is the first Catholic first lady in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy.

But most may remember that meeting because of a cute moment involving the pontiff and the first lady, when the pontiff asked her what she feeds the president.

‘Pizza?’ the first lady was heard answering.

But it may have been a ‘lost in translation’ moment as some think the first lady said potica, which is a traditional sweet nut roll pastry from Eastern Europe.

President Trump and Pope Francis also had their differences.

In 2015, Trump said Francis was too political, and the pontiff later suggested Trump wasn't Christian over his "build a wall" rhetoric.

Trump, responded that ‘for a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.’

The trip to Rome marks Trump’s first foreign trip of his second term. He is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next month.