Mr. Leo, who became the first American-born pope last year, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.
Published April 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump has unleashed a storm of criticism on Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
President Trump delivered an unusual criticism of the head of the Catholic Church in a social media post Sunday night, saying, “I don’t want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States.”
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President Trump’s rant appears to have been triggered by Pope Leo’s recent comments criticizing the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Leo last week issued a rare direct condemnation of Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization, calling it “truly unacceptable.” And on Sunday, the 70-year-old pontiff implored leaders to end the ongoing bloodshed and condemned what he called “an illusion of omnipotence” to foment war. This comment appears to be directed at President Trump.
The pope has previously questioned the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies, saying, “I don’t know if they are pro-life or not.”
President Trump advocated a “society of truth” and 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 it’s a terrible thing for America to attack Venezuela.”
“Leo should get his act together as a pope, use common sense, stop pandering to the radical left, and focus on being a great pope, not a politician,” the US president said.
Trump also claimed Leo’s leadership in the Catholic Church was a credit and suggested the Vatican selected the first American-born pope, elected last year, to curry favor with the White House. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump said.
Asked about the remarks late Sunday, Trump reiterated that he was “not a big fan” of Leo and said Leo “didn’t do a very good job.”
“I think he likes crime,” Trump said. “He’s a very liberal person.”
Mr. Trump also had a strained relationship with Mr. Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who criticized Mr. Trump’s immigration policy proposals and suggested that Mr. Trump was “not a Christian” when he first ran for president. President Trump called President Francis a “disgrace” in early 2016.
Leo is scheduled to begin an 11-day trip to Africa on Monday, starting with a historic visit to Muslim-majority Algeria.
