US President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV and insulted him in a message on the social media platform Truth.
Trump wrote: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons. I don’t want a Pope who thinks the US attack on Venezuela was a bad thing. I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States.”
He added, “Pope Leo should be grateful. If I weren’t in the White House, he wouldn’t be in the Vatican either.”
The remarks are part of the growing tension between Trump and the Vatican, which has intensified after the pope’s criticism of the war and US policies.
Trump, noting that he loves the Pope’s brother (Louis) more than the Pope himself, said that Leo’s weakness in the face of crime and nuclear weapons is unacceptable to him.
