Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’ - The New York Times
4/12/26, 22:03
President Trump’s lengthy post on social media showed there were really no boundaries when it comes to people he might target, including the leader of the
world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
By Katie Rogers
April 12, 2026
Pope Leo XIV is one of the world’s most powerful critics of the U.S. war with
Iran. In recent days, he has condemned the worship of mortals and money, the
pitfalls of arrogance, and the “absurd and inhuman violence” unleashed by
fighting that has further destabilized the Middle East.
His many admonishments over the past week appear to have reached President
Trump, who responded to those calls for peace by scorching the first American-
born pontiff on social media and then taking personal credit for Leo’s ascension
to the papacy.
“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking
surprise,” Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy social media post on Sunday night. “He
wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church 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.”
When he sent the post, the president was fresh off a weekend of attending a
mixed martial arts fight in Miami and spending time with supporters at his golf
club after negotiations with Iran had failed. He criticized Leo as “weak on crime”
— an insult he usually reserves for Democratic mayors — and “terrible for
foreign policy.” He said that he much preferred the pope’s brother Louis because
of his support for the MAGA movement — “He gets it!” Mr. Trump wrote. The
president also accused the pope of “catering to the radical left” and then offered
a piece of advice, to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
The antagonistic post showed that there were really no boundaries when it
comes to people Mr. Trump might target — the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion
Catholics is apparently fair game. Shortly after sending his post on Sunday
evening, Mr. Trump disembarked from Air Force One and answered questions
from reporters. When asked why he sent the post, the president said that he did
not think the pope was doing a good job and suggested that Leo “likes crime, I
guess.” He accused the pope of supporting nuclear weapons and called him a
“very liberal person.”
Mr. Trump’s angry counterpunch to the soft-spoken Leo, who was born Robert
Francis Prevost in Chicago, illustrated how differently two of the world’s most
powerful Americans handle conflict. One pleads for resolution, while the other
reflexively increases the temperature.
In his first year as pontiff, Leo has avoided overt criticism from a mercurial
president and quietly dodged an early invitation from Mr. Trump to visit
Washington. But in January, Leo delivered a speech voicing concern about the
Trump administration’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
His admonishments on the war in Iran have grown more pointed as that conflict
has continued, and as Trump administration officials began invoking theology to
justify a war that Mr. Trump ordered without the authorization of Congress,
support from Americans or buy-in from many U.S. allies.
In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Americans to pray for
victory in battle and the safety of their troops “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The
pope soon after warned against invoking the name of Jesus for battle, saying
that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects
them.”
In a homily during a Mass before Easter last week, Leo said that the Christian
mission had been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the
way of Jesus Christ.”
Then, on Easter Sunday, he renewed his call for peace. “On this day of
celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and
implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” Leo told tens of
thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Last week, reports also circulated that a Trump administration official had met
with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the former papal ambassador to the United
States, to complain about the pope’s criticism of administration policies. Both the
administration and the Vatican publicly denied the reports. Vice President JD
Vance, who is Catholic and is releasing a memoir about his faith, was asked
about the meeting. He initially did not seem to know who Cardinal Pierre was.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization if Tehran did
not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route, prompted a rare
direct rebuke from Leo. The pope called the threat “truly unacceptable” in
remarks to reporters, and added that Mr. Trump’s threats to blow up bridges and
power plants went “against international law.”
He called those threats a “sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction human
beings are capable of, and we all want to work for peace.” (In an interview with a
Fox News host on Sunday morning, the president defended his threat, saying he
was “fine with it.”)
On Sunday evening, Mr. Trump attacked Leo after several influential American
cardinals appeared on “60 Minutes” to discuss why they had followed the pope
in speaking out against the global and domestic conflicts created by the Trump
administration.
“It’s an abominable regime, and it should be removed,” Cardinal Robert McElroy
said during the “60 Minutes” appearance, referring to the leadership in Iran.
“But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it’s embedded in a wider
moment in the United States that’s worrying, which is this: We’re seeing before
us the possibility of war after war after war.”
Several prominent Catholics have come to the pope’s defense after the
president’s attack.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
said in a statement: “I am disheartened that the President chose to write such
disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the
Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the
Gospel and for the care of souls.”
James Joseph Martin Jr., an American Jesuit priest and writer, wrote on social
media: “I doubt Pope Leo XIV will lose any sleep over this, before he begins his
pilgrimage to Africa tomorrow. But the rest of us should. Because it is unhinged,
uncharitable and unchristian. Is there no bottom to this moral squalor?”
Last May, just after Leo’s ascension, the pope’s other brother, John Prevost, told
The New York Times in an interview that he did not think his brother would stay
silent if he disagreed with Mr. Trump’s policies.
“I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” he said. “I know
that for a fact. How far he’ll go with it is only one’s guess, but he won’t just sit
I am not Catholic (you didn't think so, did you?), but so far I like Pope Leo, and Pope Francis was obviously a holy man. The Christian Nationalist Fundamentalists, or whatever the hell they are called, are about as far from the teachings attributed to Jesus as the Earth is from Pluto.
The asshole pulled it off his site. There's video of the reporter asking him about it.
Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
Asshole: It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one.
I've never seen a Red Cross worker dressed like that. New uniforms???
Every day the guy in the highest office reaches a new low.
What an incredible asshole of a human being. What kind of MF'er would vote for this in the first place?
You could throw a rock and probably hit someone who did.
All due respect to those who follow a religion. Wouldn't it make more sense to have your OWN thoughts and beliefs to invest in and follow, rather than what another person tells you to think?
There's a lot of versions showing up today on FB. I decided not to post it because I didn't want to start I fight, he'd likely revert to his T loving ways... let it be a moment of personal discovery and hopefully some sort of awareness.
I was also tempted to post a Joe Biden comment;
"When was the last time he darkened the hallway of a church?" (Paraphrasing from memory)
The most fucked up part of all of this is how we have to walk on eggshells for these ultimately thin skinned adult children who go around calling us snowflakes and accuse lefties of crying all the tears all the time
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: rich harrow’d
awful time to be a white sox
awful time to be a white sox fan
maga sox fans, just spinning
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too
Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’ - The New York Times
4/12/26, 22:03
President Trump’s lengthy post on social media showed there were really no boundaries when it comes to people he might target, including the leader of the
world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
By Katie Rogers
April 12, 2026
Pope Leo XIV is one of the world’s most powerful critics of the U.S. war with
Iran. In recent days, he has condemned the worship of mortals and money, the
pitfalls of arrogance, and the “absurd and inhuman violence” unleashed by
fighting that has further destabilized the Middle East.
His many admonishments over the past week appear to have reached President
Trump, who responded to those calls for peace by scorching the first American-
born pontiff on social media and then taking personal credit for Leo’s ascension
to the papacy.
“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking
surprise,” Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy social media post on Sunday night. “He
wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church 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.”
When he sent the post, the president was fresh off a weekend of attending a
mixed martial arts fight in Miami and spending time with supporters at his golf
club after negotiations with Iran had failed. He criticized Leo as “weak on crime”
— an insult he usually reserves for Democratic mayors — and “terrible for
foreign policy.” He said that he much preferred the pope’s brother Louis because
of his support for the MAGA movement — “He gets it!” Mr. Trump wrote. The
president also accused the pope of “catering to the radical left” and then offered
a piece of advice, to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
The antagonistic post showed that there were really no boundaries when it
comes to people Mr. Trump might target — the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion
Catholics is apparently fair game. Shortly after sending his post on Sunday
evening, Mr. Trump disembarked from Air Force One and answered questions
from reporters. When asked why he sent the post, the president said that he did
not think the pope was doing a good job and suggested that Leo “likes crime, I
guess.” He accused the pope of supporting nuclear weapons and called him a
“very liberal person.”
Mr. Trump’s angry counterpunch to the soft-spoken Leo, who was born Robert
Francis Prevost in Chicago, illustrated how differently two of the world’s most
powerful Americans handle conflict. One pleads for resolution, while the other
reflexively increases the temperature.
In his first year as pontiff, Leo has avoided overt criticism from a mercurial
president and quietly dodged an early invitation from Mr. Trump to visit
Washington. But in January, Leo delivered a speech voicing concern about the
Trump administration’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
His admonishments on the war in Iran have grown more pointed as that conflict
has continued, and as Trump administration officials began invoking theology to
justify a war that Mr. Trump ordered without the authorization of Congress,
support from Americans or buy-in from many U.S. allies.
In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Americans to pray for
victory in battle and the safety of their troops “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The
pope soon after warned against invoking the name of Jesus for battle, saying
that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects
them.”
In a homily during a Mass before Easter last week, Leo said that the Christian
mission had been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the
way of Jesus Christ.”
Then, on Easter Sunday, he renewed his call for peace. “On this day of
celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and
implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars,” Leo told tens of
thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Last week, reports also circulated that a Trump administration official had met
with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the former papal ambassador to the United
States, to complain about the pope’s criticism of administration policies. Both the
administration and the Vatican publicly denied the reports. Vice President JD
Vance, who is Catholic and is releasing a memoir about his faith, was asked
about the meeting. He initially did not seem to know who Cardinal Pierre was.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization if Tehran did
not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route, prompted a rare
direct rebuke from Leo. The pope called the threat “truly unacceptable” in
remarks to reporters, and added that Mr. Trump’s threats to blow up bridges and
power plants went “against international law.”
He called those threats a “sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction human
beings are capable of, and we all want to work for peace.” (In an interview with a
Fox News host on Sunday morning, the president defended his threat, saying he
was “fine with it.”)
On Sunday evening, Mr. Trump attacked Leo after several influential American
cardinals appeared on “60 Minutes” to discuss why they had followed the pope
in speaking out against the global and domestic conflicts created by the Trump
administration.
“It’s an abominable regime, and it should be removed,” Cardinal Robert McElroy
said during the “60 Minutes” appearance, referring to the leadership in Iran.
“But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it’s embedded in a wider
moment in the United States that’s worrying, which is this: We’re seeing before
us the possibility of war after war after war.”
Several prominent Catholics have come to the pope’s defense after the
president’s attack.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
said in a statement: “I am disheartened that the President chose to write such
disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the
Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the
Gospel and for the care of souls.”
James Joseph Martin Jr., an American Jesuit priest and writer, wrote on social
media: “I doubt Pope Leo XIV will lose any sleep over this, before he begins his
pilgrimage to Africa tomorrow. But the rest of us should. Because it is unhinged,
uncharitable and unchristian. Is there no bottom to this moral squalor?”
Last May, just after Leo’s ascension, the pope’s other brother, John Prevost, told
The New York Times in an interview that he did not think his brother would stay
silent if he disagreed with Mr. Trump’s policies.
“I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” he said. “I know
that for a fact. How far he’ll go with it is only one’s guess, but he won’t just sit
back. I don’t think he’ll be the silent one.”
###
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry
Trump could never find this
Trump could never find this pope in a pizza.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
Yes, he actually posted this
Yes, he actually posted this today. Is he resurrecting someone? Who DOES that look like? What an idiot. Beyond words.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
OMFG unbelievable
OMFG unbelievable
wonder who is suggesting and generating these images?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
He's killing himself. Digging
He's killing himself. Digging and digging that hole. HA HA!
What's next? He going to impeach the Pope?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry
How has that image been
How has that image been confirmed?
It can't be real.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Verification?https://www
Verification?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-pope...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
I am not Catholic (you didn
I am not Catholic (you didn't think so, did you?), but so far I like Pope Leo, and Pope Francis was obviously a holy man. The Christian Nationalist Fundamentalists, or whatever the hell they are called, are about as far from the teachings attributed to Jesus as the Earth is from Pluto.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry
Good grief, he really did
Good grief, he really did post that.
Can't he see that the guy He is "healing" looks just like Jeffrey Epstein?
The man is completely out of his mind.
These are the end times.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sun so hot, clouds so low
The angels behind him look
The angels behind him look like demons. ...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
I thought they were
I thought they were Transformers
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
How has that image been
How has that image been confirmed?
It can't be real.<<
Correct , he is not Jesus.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
>>>>>What's next? He going
>>>>>What's next? He going to impeach the Pope?
Certainly not.
He's gonna have ICE deport him to El Salvador.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: reverend
We'll never see a person with
We'll never see a person with more pure Ego -- in office or out --- in our lifetime.
Interesting, and not in any good way.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: TommyGutt
Bless the Pope, he has Balls
Bless the Pope, he has Balls unlike alot of politicians... Fuck Trump.... ooops does TSA / ICE monitor The Zone....ohhhh Îm so afraid
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
From about a year ago:
From about a year ago:
Bless Its Pointed Little Head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCGBt9DXG1k&t=95s
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
> awful time to be a white
> awful time to be a white sox fan
> maga sox fans, just spinning
BTW the White Sox will be doing a promotional pope hat give away later in the season. You too can be pope.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank
My first thought was ^that^
My first thought was ^that^ had to be fake, but it's just another example of truth being stranger than fiction.
https://www.mlb.com/news/chicago-white-sox-pope-hat-giveaway-to-fans-faq
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock
"You too can be pope."
"You too can be pope."
You already are!
https://rawilson.com/you-are-a-pope/
Spectacles, Testicles, Brandy, Cigars!
You’re all Popes!
You are all absolutely infallible.
Like what you like, enjoy what you enjoy, and don't take crap from anybody.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Tim
Instead of saying OMG,
Instead of saying OMG,
I should say OMT
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
The asshole pulled it off his
The asshole pulled it off his site. There's video of the reporter asking him about it.
Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
Asshole: It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor. And had to do with red cross as a red cross worker, which we support and only the fake news could come up with that one.
I've never seen a Red Cross worker dressed like that. New uniforms???
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ParadiseWaits
lol because Red Cross doctors
lol because Red Cross doctors always have a luminous ball of magic to dispense
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Frank3
Demon over his shoulder
Demon over his shoulder
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
I didn't see it, but my wife
I didn't see it, but my wife told me 60 Minutes had a story on the Pope and I think that pic was posted right after. Guy watches a lot of TV.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha
See if this link works.
See if this link works. https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/13/politics/video/trump-jesus-like-post-doct...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
A maga friend just posted
A maga friend just posted this on FB; "The President just committed blasphemy. As I am a Christian, this is a serious offense."
I wanted to post this, lol;
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Noodler, post it, post it!
Noodler, post it, post it! Did you create that file?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jay Sunshine
Every day the guy in the
Every day the guy in the highest office reaches a new low.
What an incredible asshole of a human being. What kind of MF'er would vote for this in the first place?
You could throw a rock and probably hit someone who did.
All due respect to those who follow a religion. Wouldn't it make more sense to have your OWN thoughts and beliefs to invest in and follow, rather than what another person tells you to think?
I don't get it. I'm neither lost nor found.
Be well.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
There's a lot of versions
There's a lot of versions showing up today on FB. I decided not to post it because I didn't want to start I fight, he'd likely revert to his T loving ways... let it be a moment of personal discovery and hopefully some sort of awareness.
I was also tempted to post a Joe Biden comment;
"When was the last time he darkened the hallway of a church?" (Paraphrasing from memory)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Subway Token
my "friend" just converted to
my "friend" just converted to catholiocism at 54 yrs old....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: reverend
Maybe our next president
Maybe our next president should be a Buddhist / psychedelic therapist.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I dunno, might find
I dunno, might find themselves in a waffle house!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DZ
tshirt designed by the dude
tshirt designed by the dude that sold m.c. escher tshirts in the lot back in the day
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: plj
The most fucked up part of
The most fucked up part of all of this is how we have to walk on eggshells for these ultimately thin skinned adult children who go around calling us snowflakes and accuse lefties of crying all the tears all the time