President Donald Trump fired off his most public and intense criticism of Pope Leo XIV in a lengthy Sunday night post to Truth Social and in later remarks to journalists, calling the spiritual head of the Catholic Church “weak” and “terrible” on key issues.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart,” Trump began his criticism on social media.
“I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” the president continued, referring to the pontiff’s older brother Louis Prevost, a Trump supporter living in Florida. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. 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 and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country.”
Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah
pic.twitter.com/LMkxnI8ict
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 20, 2025
“And 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, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History,” he added.
Trump indicated that “Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise.”
“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,” he claimed. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
“Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Trump concluded.
The president then expressed similar criticism to journalists as he deplaned from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” Trump said. “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person — and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
.@POTUS: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess… I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person — and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.” https://t.co/Aim0xeALzu pic.twitter.com/oUSJsmJBwU
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 13, 2026
Whereas Trump also exchanged criticism with the late Pope Francis during his ministry, which ended with the Argentina-born pontiff’s April 21, 2025 death, the president’s aggressive post marks a turn from his previous enthusiasm over Leo’s election weeks later.
President Trump on Pope Leo XIV: “To have the pope from the United States of America, that’s a great honor.” pic.twitter.com/0PzT89cpej
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 8, 2025
The White House referred the Daily Caller News Foundation back to the president’s Truth Social post when asked for comment.
About 45 minutes after sending his Truth Social post attacking Leo, Trump shared what appears to be an artificial intelligence-generated image of the president wearing a robe and miraculously healing a sick man with American imagery in the background. On the heels of the criticism of the pope, many reactions to the image on social media drew conclusions Trump was envisioning himself as Jesus. Trump previously shared an image of himself as pope as the May 2025 conclave to replace Francis prepared to begin in Vatican City.
President Donald Trump late Sunday uploaded an apparent depiction of himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick patient, hours after sharply criticizing Pope Leo XIV.
The image was uploaded to the President’s account with no additional captions, showing him dressed in a white and… https://t.co/dzl0m4bw0q pic.twitter.com/oeqy01YpJj
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 13, 2026
Former Republican Georgia Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally-turned critic and self-identifying leader in the America First movement, condemned the presumably AI-generated image she said depicted the president “as if he is replacing Jesus.”
“On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus,” Greene, who resigned from Congress after the president withdrew her support for her, wrote in a late Sunday post to X. “This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!”
On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus.
This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an… pic.twitter.com/mq27jxJEnt— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene
I assume someone has already told him, but it behooves the President both spiritually and politically to delete the picture, no matter the intent.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) April 13, 2026
Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he’d post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this?
Either way, two things are true.
1) a little humility would serve him well
2) God shall not be mocked https://t.co/GViHqWeDEr— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 13, 2026
Should Pope Leo XIV shift focus from politics to his spiritual role?
The pope responded directly to the president’s criticism Monday, telling reporters aboard the papal plane to Algeria, “I think that the people who read will be able to draw their own conclusions: I am not a politician, I have no intention of entering into a debate with him. Rather, let us always seek peace and put an end to wars. I am not afraid of the Trump administration.”
Pope Leo spoke with reporters while on his flight to Algeria this morning regarding President Trump’s latest comments about him and said: “I do not look at my role as being political or a politician. I don’t want to get into a debate with him. I don’t think that the message of… pic.twitter.com/dsRZjJvkzm
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 13, 2026
“I speak about the Gospel, I am not a politician. I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused in the way some people are doing. I will continue to speak out loudly against war, to try to promote peace, multilateral dialogue between states in order to seek the right solution to problems,” he continued. “The message of the Church is the message of the Gospel, blessed are the peacemakers; I do not see my role as that of a politician, I do not want to enter into a debate with him. Too many people are suffering in the world.”
“I have no fear of neither the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called to do and what the Church is called to do,” His Holiness also said. “We’re not politicians. We’re not looking to make foreign policy, as he calls it, with the same perspective that he might understand it. But I do believe that the message of the Gospel, ‘blessed are the peacemakers,’ is a message that the world needs to hear today.”
“I have no fear of neither the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”
Pope Leo XIV said that he will continue to speak out “loudly” against war, stressing that his role is to preach the Gospel, not to enter into political disputes.… pic.twitter.com/p1yIIn8fuR— EWTN News (@EWTNews) April 13, 2026
“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed in an early Monday statement.
“The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful,” Bishop Robert Barron, a Trump-apointee to the Religious Liberty Commission, also wrote Monday. “They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life. In regard to the concrete application of those principles, people of good will can and do disagree. I would warmly recommend that serious Catholics within the Trump administration–Secretary Rubio, Vice President Vance, Ambassador Brian Burch, and others–might meet with Vatican officials so that a real dialogue can take place. This is far preferable to the statements on social media.”
“All that said, I think the President owes the Pope an apology,” he concluded.
The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) April 13, 2026
Despite being elected as the first American-born Roman pontiff less than a year earlier, Pope Leo XIV has otherwise largely and delicately avoided specifically naming Trump when commenting on global issues or responding to journalists’ requests for His Holiness to weigh in on news from his home country.
“I don’t want to be seen as an American who’s trying to meddle in the domestic political fights in the United States,” Pope Leo XIV reportedly told Trump-appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch upon their first meeting in September 2025. “He said, ‘I’m not an American pope. I’m a pope from America for the world.’”
In response to a September 2025 announcement Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, the recently inaugurated pope — who was born and raised in the Chicago area — offered what appears to have been his first public comments on U.S. policy.
“Someone who says, ‘I am against abortion,’ but says, ‘I am in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life. Someone who says that, ‘I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” the pope said. “They are very complex issues. I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them. But I would ask first and foremost that there be greater respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings … we really need to really look closely at all of these ethical issues and to find the way forward as a church. Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear.”
Pope Leo, however, declined in October 2025 to publicly criticize the Trump administration’s decision to send 400 National Guardsmen to support law enforcement in Chicago.
“I prefer not to comment at this time about political choices [made] within the United States,” the pope told journalists.
When asked about President Trump’s move to send 400 National Guard troops to Chicago, Pope Leo XIV responded:
“I prefer not to comment at this time about political choices [made] within the United States. Thank you very much.” pic.twitter.com/IHQKkhC4tv
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) October 7, 2025
After Trump, amid military strikes against the Islamic regime, threatened that the Iranian “civilization will die … never to be brought back again,” the pope expressed increasing concern for the prospect of peace and an end to the violence.
In response to a question during a Monday press conference asking if he believes God supports the U.S.’s actions in Iran, Trump expressed, “I do, because God is good. And God wants to see people taken care of.”
“God doesn’t like what’s happening. I don’t like what’s happening,” he continued. “Everyone says I enjoy it. I don’t enjoy this. I don’t enjoy it.”
“God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples,” the pope seemingly responded in a Friday post to X.
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 10, 2026
A March 20-23 poll of 1,001 randomly selected registered voters, conducted jointly by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research, found that 48% of Catholic respondents approve of Trump’s presidential actions while 52% disapprove. The poll’s margin of error is three percent overall, but six percent for Catholic respondents.
Notably, only 40% of the Catholic respondents approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, while 60% disapprove. Forty-five percent of Catholic respondents both expressed support for military force against Iran and believed it was going well, while 55% opposed it and believed it wasn’t going well. Thirty-nine percent of Catholics also apparently believe the operations against Iran will make the U.S. safer, while 38% believe the opposite and 23% believe it will not make much of a difference. Seventy-four percent were also concerned about Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions while 26% disagreed. Likewise, 73% of Catholic respondents said it was important to reduce Iran’s support of terrorism, while 27% disagreed.
The poll also found 71% of Catholic respondents value ending Iran’s nuclear program, while 29% disagreed. Likewise, 71% of Catholic respondents support protecting the flow of oil from the region, while 29% disagreed. Sixty-one percent also saw value in changing Iran’s government, while 39% disagreed.
Trump won the Catholic share of the 2024 electorate — estimated to be 22% — by a 12-point margin, 55% compared to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s 43%, according to Pew Research. Former Vice President Joe Biden won 50% of the Catholic electorate in 2020, however, while Trump won 49%.
Editor’s note: This breaking news report was updated with additional developments, including a subsequent Truth Social post by the president, as well as reactions from Pope Leo XIV and others.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
