WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying the U.S.-born global leader of the Catholic Church is “doing a very good job” and “doesn’t think he’s a very generous person” and suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the radical left.”
On his way back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to strongly criticize Leo, then continued to do so after the removal, commenting on the tarmac to reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Trump’s comments came after Leo suggested over the weekend that “delusions of omnipotence” were fueling the US-Israeli war on Iran. While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s extremely rare for a pope to directly criticize a US leader — and Trump’s strong response is just as unusual, if not more so.
“Pope Leo is weak on crime, and terrible on foreign policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
He reiterated that sentiment in comments to reporters, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have nuclear weapons.”
Later, Trump posted a picture in which he appeared to have saint-like powers similar to those of Jesus Christ. Clad in biblical-style clothing, Trump can be seen holding hands over a man sleeping in bed as light shines from his fingers, while a soldier, a nurse, a praying woman and a bearded man in a baseball cap all look on admiringly. The sky above is filled with eagles, American flags and steamy images.
All that came after Leo presided over an evening prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, the day the United States and Iran resumed face-to-face talks amid a fragile ceasefire in Pakistan. The pope did not mention the United States or Trump by name, but his tone and message appeared directed at Trump and US officials, who have boasted of US military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
Leo – who is scheduled to leave on Monday for an 11-day trip to Africa – has previously said that God “hears the prayers of those who fight, but rejects them.” He also refers to the Old Testament passage from Isaiah, “Though you pray much, I will not hear—your hands are full of blood.”
Before the cease-fire, when Trump warned of massive strikes against Iranian power plants and other infrastructure and that “the entire civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “really unacceptable.”
In his social media posts Sunday night, however, Trump went far beyond the war in Iran to criticize Leo.
“I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s terrible for the US to attack Venezuela, to attack a country that sends large amounts of drugs to the US,” the president wrote. That was a reference to the Trump administration’s ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.
“I don’t want a pope criticizing the president of the United States because I’m doing what I was elected to do in a landslide,” Trump added, referring to his 2024 election victory.
He also suggested in the post that Leo only got his position “because he was an American, and they thought that was 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,” Trump wrote, “Leo needs to 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. This is hurting him very badly and most importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
In his later comments to reporters, Trump said of Leo, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime” and added, “He’s a very generous person.”
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55% of Catholic voters, according to AP Votecast, a comprehensive poll of voters. But Trump’s administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly support for the war on Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And, when Trump was asked if he believed God approved of war, he said, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
