President Trump launched a sharp critique of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, labeling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime” and attacking his foreign policy credentials. The late-night social media post marks a clear escalation in friction between the White House and the Vatican, fueled by the Pope’s recent public comments regarding international conflicts.
There was a faint scent of stale coffee in the press room as reporters scrambled to pull up the full statement. Mr. Trump was clearly riled up—he wrote, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” while also taking issue with Leo’s stance on the administration’s actions in Venezuela. He claimed the Pope was wrong to criticize the U.S. response to a country that he alleged was “emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country.”
It’s been building for a while, honestly. Leo had recently called threats to destroy Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable,” urging leaders to reject war. Even during a prayer vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope spoke out against the “idolatry of self and money,” which many saw as a direct jab at the current American administration, though he didn’t explicitly name Trump at the time. Maybe he didn’t need to.
Mr. Trump went further, suggesting that Leo’s election to the papacy was influenced by political considerations regarding the U.S. presidency. He argued that the Church selected an American to better manage relations with him, or maybe that’s just how he sees the power dynamic—it’s hard to tell sometimes. “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” Trump added, insisting the leader of the Church should focus on being a “Great Pope, not a Politician.”
Things got a bit repetitive by the time the President returned to Washington. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, he doubled down on the idea that the Pope “likes crime” and is fundamentally too liberal to lead. He seemed convinced that Leo’s actions are actively damaging the Catholic Church, though he didn’t elaborate on how that calculation is made.
It’s a strange moment for diplomacy. Just last month, Leo’s Palm Sunday homily appeared to target Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, implying that God ignores the prayers of those who wage war. Now, the rhetoric has reached a point where the lines between religious moralizing and geopolitical strategy are almost entirely gone. Or maybe they were never there to begin with.