President Donald Trump said he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV
He called the pontiff “weak” and “terrible,” issuing an extraordinary public rebuke that questioned the Holy Father’s leadership and motives
In an April 12 post on Truth Social, Trump took aim at Pope Leo across a range of issues on which the Pope has called for peace, portraying him as acting politically and aligning with Trump’s opponents.“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” he wrote.
The president also attacked what he alleged were the Pope’s foreign policy positions, accusing him of being too soft on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and faulting him for criticizing U.S. military action in Venezuela.
“I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” he wrote. “I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”
Trump defended his own record, saying he did not want “a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” and arguing he was carrying out the agenda he had been elected to implement “IN A LANDSLIDE.”
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