During a live broadcast of Pope Francis’ funeral, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper redirected attention from Donald Trump attributing a burst of applause following the US President’s arrival to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

As the funeral mass for the late Pope Francis unfolded in Vatican City on Saturday, Trump made a highly publicized entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica, accompanied by his wife, Melania, and other world leaders.

The moment was met by a noticeable round of applause from the crowd, a reaction that quickly caught the attention of cameras and commentators around the globe.

However, Cooper, anchoring CNN’s live coverage, diverted attention away from the 47th President claiming the roar of applause wasn’t intended for Trump.

‘And there’s President Zelensky. Wow!’ Cooper said as the clapping continued.

‘His image has been shown on a monitor in, and that’s why you hear people actually applauding now. They’re applauding President Zelensky when he appeared on some of the jumbotrons.’

The CNN host went on to explain that ‘most of the people who are here in St. Peter’s Square who are standing in the crowd can’t actually see President Zelensky, but there’s a number of jumbotrons positioned throughout the square, and that’s what that applause was.’

Prior to the solemn event, Trump and Zelensky met briefly, marking their first face-to-face encounter since a tumultuous White House meeting, as the US President pushes for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

According to the White House, the leaders had a ‘very productive’ meeting, with more details expected to follow.

‘President Trump and President Zelensky met privately today and had a very productive discussion,’ White House communications director Steven Cheung said.

Zelensky later posted on X: ‘Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered.

‘Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.

‘Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you POTUS.’

Neither Trump nor Zelensky interacted publicly in front of the cameras on Saturday prior to the service.

Body language expert Judi James described their interaction to MailOnline: ‘This is phenomenally intense-looking body language, made all the more surreal by the setting it’s occurring in.

‘Their poses here make them look like two men hunched over a game of chess, plotting and competing,’ she said, adding: ‘It’s the fate of the world they are haggling over.’

‘The horn-locking positioning of the heads could look sinister, suggesting conflict, but the close proximity of the two men here and the mirrored positions seems to weigh the balance in the direction of moving to agreement rather than conflict.’

While Trump met with one world leader, he appeared to avoid any interaction with his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, during the three-hour Catholic mass.

Trump and Melania were seated in the front row, while the Bidens – both wearing sunglasses – were visible a few rows behind. No interaction was observed between the two former presidents.

En route to Rome, Trump commented on the possibility of meeting Biden at the funeral: ‘It’s not high on my list. It’s really not.’ 

He also seemed unaware that the Bidens would even be present at the funeral.

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

Both Trump and Biden later came under fire for allegedly violating the dress code at the Vatican service. 

The official guidelines required men to wear a dark suit, a long black tie, and a white shirt, with all outerwear – including shoes, socks, coats, and umbrellas – also to be black.

Trump, however, wore a blue suit and matching tie, while Biden also opted for a blue tie.

Critics called the choice disrespectful, as did some in response to Zelensky’s attire, who attended the funeral without a tie. 

Most other world leaders were dressed in formal black, in accordance with Vatican tradition.

Alison Graham, a mourner in the crowd, remarked: ‘Why is Trump the only male world leader who is wearing a blue suit? Has he no sense of appropriacy? Shame on him.’

Another viewer, Sam, added: ‘How disrespectful – Trump is wearing a blue suit to a funeral.’ A third, Madaelene, fumed: ‘Did he not have a black suit? At least a dark blue one? Where is the respect?’

Prince William also drew some criticism for wearing a dark navy suit – though he adhered to the regulations with a black tie.

The Vatican’s dress code further stipulated that men should wear a black button on the left lapel of the jacket, reserved for Vatican honors. Women were expected to wear long black dresses, gloves, and veils, with jewelry limited to a string of pearls.

Melania Trump followed protocol, wearing an elegant black lace veil, matching gloves, and simple black pumps, along with a diamond-studded cross pendant.

Meanwhile, cardinals and patriarchs were requested to wear white damask mitres, while archbishops and bishops were required to wear amices, surplices, cinctures and red stoles.

The world leaders were among hundreds of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square – many waiting overnight for a seat – as Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re remembered the Pontiff as ‘a pope among the people, with an open heart.’ 

Applause rose as he praised Pope Francis for his ‘conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.’