United States President, Donald Trump, on Sunday evening launched a strong attack on Pope Leo XIV, criticizing his position on the Iran war and describing him as “terrible for foreign policy.”
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” Trump told reporters, adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Leo, the first American pope, has in recent days become more outspoken on the United States and Israel’s war with Iran, condemning Trump’s rhetoric and threats toward Iranians as “truly unacceptable.”
Speaking to journalists at Joint Base Andrews, Trump’s remarks came shortly after he shared an extended criticism of the pontiff on Truth Social.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, adding that he does not want a pope who believes it is acceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons or who thinks it is “terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”
“And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” he added.
The president further claimed that Leo “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.”
