Donald Trump was seated in a front-row seat near Pope Francis' coffin at the pope's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica. He attended alongside First Lady Melania Trump and was seated beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, though they were about ten seats and one aisle apart. Trump and Melania were flanked by Estonia’s President Alar Karis and Finland's Alexander Stubb, both supporters of Ukraine. This seating arrangement marked a departure from initial expectations that Trump would be placed in the third row behind royal dignitaries, as traditionally Catholic and non-Catholic royals were given priority in the front rows. The Vatican reportedly adjusted the seating to give Trump a more prominent position, which was a notable change from the protocol followed at Pope John Paul II's funeral in 2005. Trump’s front-row placement was seen as a significant gesture, especially given his previous public criticisms of seating arrangements at other high-profile funerals