Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, calling him "WEAK" on crime and foreign policy -- and then, plot twist: The President of the United States shared a photo of himself as Jesus Christ helping the sick.
Love him or hate him, all can agree that President Trump does not easily forget a slight, and this attack on the Pope has its roots in the Pontiff, who hails from Chicago, criticizing the president for the immigration crackdowns and a flurry of sudden wars.
In the Sunday post, Trump said the pontiff was elected "because he was 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 also posted an A.I.-generated image of himself as Jesus, drawing criticism from former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, Archbishop Coakley of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and many more.
Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ after launching an extraordinary attack on the Pope
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 13, 2026
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Before that, he had let loose on Pope Leo on Truth Social, saying he's weak and terrible.
Trump attacks Pope Leo XIV in new Truth Social post:
— FactPost (@factpostnews) April 13, 2026
"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" pic.twitter.com/lGQmLiAiBg
In response, the Pope told reporters he will continue to spread a message of peace.
"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do," he told reporters.
"I don't want to get into a debate with [Trump]," he added.
The pope had previously condemned Trump's warning about Iran and suggested a "delusion of omnipotence" driving the US-Iran conflict. The president seemed to take extreme umbrage of Pope Leo's criticism of the War in Iran, so much so that when reporters asked him about his anti-Pope post, he said this:
"I don't think he's doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess. He hit us. Think of it. He's worried about fear. What about the fear when the ministers and the priests and the all of those great people that were arrested during COVID. And in many cases, they're outside 10 feet apart and they were arrested. So we don't like it. We don't like a pope that's going to say that it's okay to have a nuclear weapon. We don't want a pope that says crime is okay in our cities. I don't like it. 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 had earlier fought by claiming the Catholic Church arrested clergy during the pandemic and said he preferred the pope's brother, Louis, who is "MAGA." Trump's post implied his election influenced the choice of Pope Leo and urged him to focus on being a great pope, not a politician.
Reporter: Why did you attack Pope Leo?
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 13, 2026
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I don't think he's doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess. He hit us. Think of it. He's worried about fear.
What about the fear when the ministers and the priests and the all of those great people that were… pic.twitter.com/fEllpWyKgd
