In an apparent response, Trump criticized the pope for “catering to the Radical Left” and failing to support the U.S. on matters of national security. “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA,” Trump wrote, referring to Louis Prevost, who lives in Florida. “He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!”
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela,” Trump said.
The U.S. president, who was raised Presbyterian, followed up his comment with a post featuring an image of himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick man while eagles and jet planes soared overhead.
Trump also questioned the legitimacy of Leo’s election, claiming, without evidence, that his own presidency had enabled the pope’s accession to the throne of St. Peter. The pope’s behavior, he added, is “hurting the Catholic Church!”
“Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,” Trump railed. “He 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. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
It’s not the first time Trump has clashed with the Vatican. Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, was a frequent critic of the president. And Leo has denounced the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and lamented attacks on Europe made by the president in an interview with POLITICO.
