WASHINGTON — In an unprecedented public confrontation, President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV Sunday evening, declaring the first American pontiff isn’t “doing a very good job” and characterizing him as “a very liberal person” who should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”
The president’s harsh criticism came during his return flight from Florida to Washington, where he posted a lengthy social media message targeting the Pope, then continued his verbal assault while speaking with reporters on the airport tarmac.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” Trump told journalists.
The verbal confrontation erupted after Pope Leo XIV suggested during the weekend that a “delusion of omnipotence” was driving the ongoing U.S.-Israel military conflict in Iran. Though disagreements between papal leaders and American presidents aren’t uncommon, direct papal criticism of U.S. leadership is extraordinarily rare — making Trump’s fierce rebuttal equally unprecedented.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump declared in his social media statement, continuing, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Speaking to reporters, he reiterated his position: “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”
The pontiff had conducted an evening prayer ceremony Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica, coinciding with the start of direct U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks in Pakistan amid a temporary ceasefire. Though Pope Leo XIV avoided naming Trump or America specifically, his remarks and tone seemed clearly aimed at the president and administration officials who have celebrated American military dominance and framed the conflict in religious language.
Pope Leo XIV, who begins an 11-day African tour Monday, has previously stated that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” He has also quoted Old Testament scripture from Isaiah, declaring that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”
Prior to the current ceasefire, when Trump threatened massive strikes on Iranian power infrastructure and warned that “an entire civilization will die tonight,” the Pope condemned such language as “truly unacceptable.”
Trump’s Sunday evening social media response expanded well beyond the Iranian conflict in attacking Pope Leo XIV.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States,” the president wrote.
“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do,” Trump added, referring to his 2024 electoral victory.
Trump also insinuated in his post that the Pope received his position “because he was an American, and they thought that would be 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 claimed, adding, “Leo should 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. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!”
During his airport remarks, Trump maintained his critical stance, stating about Pope Leo XIV: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess,” while describing the pontiff as “a very liberal person.”
The Trump administration has cultivated strong relationships with conservative evangelical Protestant leadership and has asserted divine approval for the Iranian military campaign.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has encouraged Americans to pray for military success “in the name of Jesus Christ.” When questioned about whether God supports the war, Trump responded, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”
