President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the backlash against an AI-generated image of him as the pope posted by the White House on social media, saying it was a harmless joke, but communications experts said they did not see the funny side.

The depiction of the president in full papal regalia was posted by Trump and on official White House accounts.

The president suggested Catholics, who have criticized the apparently A.I.-generated image, were not offended, and said that anyone who was “can’t take a joke.”