The president Donald Trump published an extensive and aggressive message this Sunday on his social media platform Truth Social against Pope Leon XIV, labeling him as "weak on crime" and "terrible in foreign policy" amid an escalation of tensions between the White House and the Vatican.
The attack comes after weeks of tensions between the two, which intensified when the Pope described Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as "unacceptable" if they did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to Rome Reports, and also after the private meeting that the pontiff held on April 9 with David Axelrod, Democratic strategist and former advisor to Barack Obama.
Trump directly attacked that meeting, calling Axelrod "a leftist loser" and accusing him of wanting parishioners and clergy to be arrested during the pandemic.
"I don't want a Pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," wrote Trump, adding that he also doesn't want "a Pope who believes it was terrible for America to attack Venezuela, a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs to the United States."
In one of the most striking passages of the message, Trump questioned the very legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV's papacy: "Leo should be grateful because, as everyone knows, it was a shocking surprise. He was not on any list to be Pope, and he was only placed there by the Church because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump."
He even went so far as to state: "If I weren't in the White House, León wouldn't be in the Vatican."
In contrast, Trump praised the Pope's brother, Louis Prevost, describing him as someone who is "all MAGA": "I like his brother Louis much more than him because Louis understands it, and Leon does not!"
According to Latinus, Louis Prevost has sparked controversy since May 2025 due to his public affinity for Trump and the MAGA movement, going so far as to declare to the EFE agency: "You can't come here and take advantage. If you want to come, go ahead, but come legally. Don't come and be a leech."
Trump also rejected the Pope's criticism of his administration, arguing that he is doing exactly what he was elected to do "in a landslide," and accused the pontiff of harming the Catholic Church by behaving like a politician.
The Pope Leo XIV is Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955 and
Since his election, the relationship with the Trump administration has been tense: the Pope condemned the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, expressed concern regarding the military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, and called for dialogue on Cuba in February of that same year.
On April 11, two days before Trump's attack, León XIV had called for a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square.
Trump closed his message with a direct warning to the Pontiff: "Leon should step up as Pope, use common sense, stop serving the radical left, and focus on being a great Pope, not a politician. He is harming himself and, more importantly, he is harming the Catholic Church!"
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