WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV late on Sunday following the pontiff’s criticism of his foreign and immigration policies. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Leo, who last year became the first US-born pope, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28. He previously questioned the Trump administration’s approach to immigration. “Leo should get his act together as Pope,” Trump wrote in his post on Sunday, later telling reporters he was “not a big fan” of the pontiff.
Nuclear Weapons Criticism
Trump’s broadside against Leo also accused him of being “weak on nuclear weapons,” several days after the pope said the US president’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation was “truly unacceptable.” In a speech on Palm Sunday last month in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the pope said God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have their “hands full of blood,” calling the conflict in Iran “atrocious.”
Leo has also called on Trump to find an “off-ramp” to end the conflict and “decrease the amount of violence.”
Pope’s American Identity
In his post, Trump suggested that Leo was only elected to lead the Catholic Church last year “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump.” The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Immigration Stance
Leo has called for “deep reflection” about the way migrants are being treated in the US. Last year, the pope also questioned whether Trump’s hard-line immigration policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings. “Someone who says I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” the pontiff said in September.
The Vatican leader’s belief in a more compassionate approach to immigration — a sentiment expressed by several of Leo’s predecessors — stands in contrast to the stance of Trump, who has argued that the US must curtail immigration from developing countries to reduce crime.
Trump’s Response
“He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man who doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” Trump told reporters on Sunday night.
History of Papal-Trump Tensions
Trump also had a rocky relationship with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who criticised Trump’s immigration policy proposals when he first ran for president and suggested Trump was “not a Christian.” Trump had called Francis “disgraceful” in early 2016.
Analysis: An Unprecedented Attack
Trump’s direct attack on Pope Leo is unusual, even by the president’s standards. While Trump has previously clashed with Pope Francis, his criticism of Leo is more personal and more sweeping, accusing the pontiff of being “weak” on crime, “terrible” on foreign policy, and “weak” on nuclear weapons.
The attack reflects Trump’s frustration with a pope who has used his platform to criticise US foreign policy and immigration enforcement. Leo’s status as the first American pope might have been expected to insulate him from such attacks, but Trump’s criticism suggests otherwise.
For the Catholic Church, the attack is an opportunity to reaffirm its teachings on peace, migration, and the sanctity of life. For the president, it is a chance to rally his base against an international figure who has questioned his policies.
The Vatican’s response — if any — will be closely watched. Leo’s predecessors have typically responded to criticism with dignified silence. Whether Leo follows that tradition remains to be seen.
