United States President Donald Trump has launched a sharp and unusual public attack on Pope Leo XIV, accusing the head of the Catholic Church of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” following the pontiff’s recent criticism of global conflicts involving the United States and its allies.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Trump said he does not “want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon” and criticised Pope Leo for speaking against US military actions and war rhetoric.
He also accused the Pope of “catering to the Radical Left” and urged him to “focus on being a great Pope, not a politician.”
The remarks came after Pope Leo XIV publicly condemned escalating violence in the Middle East, including the US-Israel conflict involving Iran, describing it as driven by a “delusion of omnipotence” and urging world leaders to pursue peace and negotiations.
The pontiff has also questioned aspects of US immigration and foreign policy, drawing political backlash from Washington.
Trump further escalated the dispute by suggesting the Vatican’s election of the first American-born pope may have been politically motivated and stated he is “not a big fan” of Leo, adding that the pontiff “is not doing a very good job.”
The clash highlights growing tension between the White House and the Vatican, as Pope Leo continues to advocate for diplomacy and an end to war, while Trump defends his administration’s hardline foreign policy stance.
The Vatican has not yet issued an official response to the president’s comments.
