President Donald Trump said he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV and called the pontiff “weak” and “terrible,” issuing an extraordinary public rebuke that questioned the Holy Father’s leadership and motives, while also claiming credit for his election to the papacy.
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.”
Trump’s criticism also extended to the circumstances of the Holy Father’s election. While conclave deliberations are secret, Trump said “Leo should be thankful” and added that “as everyone knows” he had not been expected to be chosen, asserting that Church leaders elevated him because he was American and seen as a way to respond to Trump.
“He wasn't on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American,” Trump wrote. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
In a personal aside, Trump said he preferred the Pope’s brother, Louis Prevost, a retired Navy veteran who has expressed support for Trump’s political movement.
“I like his brother Louis much better than I like him,” Trump wrote. “Because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn't!”
Trump also criticized the Pope’s reported meetings with figures he described as political opponents, including David Axelrod, and accused the Pope of “catering to the Radical Left.”
He concluded by urging the Holy Father to “get his act together” and “use common sense,” saying the Pope should focus on being “a Great Pope, not a Politician,” and warning that his approach was harming both his leadership and the Catholic Church.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 13, 2026
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after disembarking from Air Force One, Trump said he was “not a big fan” of Pope Leo, describing him as “a very liberal person” who “doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
🇺🇸"I don't think he's doing a very good job. HE LIKES CRIME, I guess... I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very LIBERAL person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime." - Trump pic.twitter.com/cpFz2q1zI6
— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) April 13, 2026
As Zeale News reported, Pope Leo has spoken forcefully on moral dimensions of war and humanitarian concerns throughout his papacy.
>> Pope Leo calls worldwide prayer vigil for peace during Iran negotiations <<
The Holy Father has consistently spoken out against war since the conflict began. Across multiple Angelus addresses, Holy Week messages, and public remarks, he has called for a ceasefire, condemned attacks on civilians, and warned against using religion to justify conflict as President Donald Trump and U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth continue to invoke God in connection with the war. Pope Leo also criticized Trump’s April 7 threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization,” — calling the President’s statement “truly unacceptable.”
The day before Trump’s post, speaking a prayer vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo said “Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war,” while warning against what he described as a growing “delusion of omnipotence.”
>> ‘Enough of war!’: Pope Leo delivers urgent plea for peace at prayer vigil <<
The same day, Cardinal Raymond Burke downplayed suggestions of a deepening rift, telling Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni that “the narrative of an ongoing clash is exaggerated,” and pointing to efforts by U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch to maintain dialogue.
U.S. bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley issued a statement to Trump for his attack on Pope Leo, saying he was “disheartened” by the “disparaging” remarks and stressing that the pope is not a political rival but the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the Gospel.