President Donald Trump took aim at Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, pushing back against the pontiff’s stance on the US (United States) conflict with Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump noted he does not “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 connected Leo’s rise to the papacy with his own return to the White House. Leo, hailing from Chicago, became the first American pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church after the death of Pope Francis who had been very vocal against the genocide in Gaza.
“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,” Trump stated.
“He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican”.
The president went on to characterize Leo as “Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons,” and pointed to the pope’s recent meeting with David Axelrod, a former aide to President Barack Obama, describing him as “a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested”.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV issued separate remarks on Sunday addressing multiple conflicts across the globe. On X, the Pontiff urged the international community to maintain focus on the wars in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan.
“May the international community’s attention to the tragedy of this war not waver,” Leo conveyed, expressing solidarity with people in Lebanon and noting he felt “closer than ever” to the nation during the conflict. In recent weeks, Israel has illegally taken over more than 14 percent of South Lebanon, displacing more than a million people, wiping out villages and killing thousands.
The pope called for ceasefires and peace negotiations in all three regions, emphasizing that international law demands protection of civilians from the impacts of war. Marking the third anniversary of the Sudan conflict, Leo appealed to warring factions to “silence their weapons” and pursue dialogue without conditions.
