President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, labeling the U.S.-born pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” The president issued the broadside in a lengthy social media post on Truth Social while flying back to Washington from Florida, later doubling down on his comments to reporters on the tarmac.
The public feud follows tensions over the U.S.-Iran war. Pope Leo, who last year became the first U.S.-born pope, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Al Jazeera reported. Leo recently suggested that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fueling the conflict. While the Pope did not name the president directly in his Saturday prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica, he condemned leaders whose “hands are full of blood” and previously called Trump’s threats of mass strikes against Iranian infrastructure “truly unacceptable,” La Tercera reported. Al Jazeera further noted that the Pope had specifically slammed Trump’s threat that Iran’s “civilisation will die” as unacceptable. In his Saturday address, the Pope further urged world leaders to contain any “exhibitions of force” and prioritize “dialogue and mediation,” a message that coincided with ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan, Cooperativa reported.
Trump’s response was immediate and personal. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” In defending his own administration, Trump asserted that he was elected “by a wide majority” to implement policies that he claims have “reduced crime and strengthened the economy,” according to La Tercera.
A widening rift over global policy
The president expanded his criticism beyond the Middle East, taking issue with the Pope’s stance on U.S. military actions in Venezuela. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States,” Trump posted. Cooperativa noted that the Pope had recently called for the “guarantee of sovereignty” in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Beyond these geopolitical disputes, the Pope has previously questioned the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, famously asking, “I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” according to Al Jazeera.
Trump further questioned the pontiff’s priorities, suggesting that Leo should focus on the Church rather than politics. He also expressed a preference for the Pope’s brother, Louis, claiming he is “totally MAGA.” Trump further urged the Pope to “use common sense” and suggested the pontiff should be “grateful” for his position, according to Cooperativa.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” Trump told reporters. He claimed the Pope only secured his position because he was American, asserting that church officials believed it would be “the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.” Trump further claimed that if he were not in the White House, Leo would not be in his current position, Al Jazeera reported.
Beyond the geopolitical friction, the president attacked the Pope’s handling of the Catholic Church during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump’s post also criticized the pontiff for meeting with supporters of former President Barack Obama and suggested Leo should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added. He concluded by urging the leader of the Catholic Church to focus on his religious duties. “León should focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. He’s doing a lot of damage to himself and, more importantly, he’s doing damage to the Catholic Church!”
