Trump attacks Pope Leo, deepening political rift

US President Donald Trump has publicly lashed out at Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in an unusually direct attack on the head of the Catholic Church.

The criticism came in a social media post late Sunday, where Trump made clear he rejects the pope’s public stance on global issues. “I don’t want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States,” he wrote.

The outburst appears to be the latest escalation in a growing clash between the two figures, driven largely by the pope’s criticism of the US-Israel war on Iran. In recent days, Leo has condemned the conflict and warned against what he described as a “delusion of omnipotence” behind ongoing violence — remarks widely interpreted as aimed at Trump’s rhetoric and strategy.

Trump responded bluntly, doubling down on policy disagreements and attacking the pope’s judgment.

“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.”

“Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician,” he added.

He also went further, suggesting the Vatican’s choice of the first US-born pontiff was politically motivated.

“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump said.

Speaking later to reporters, Trump continued the criticism in more personal terms.

“He likes crime, I guess,” he said. “He’s a very liberal person.”

The clash reflects a deeper divide between two very different approaches to global leadership. Pope Leo has consistently framed conflicts like the Iran war as moral failures requiring restraint and dialogue, warning that war is becoming normalized and increasingly justified in dangerous ways.

Trump, by contrast, has defended a more force-driven approach, often tying it to national security and deterrence.

This is not the first time a US president and a pope have clashed, but the tone here is unusually direct. Trump previously had a tense relationship with Pope Francis, exchanging criticism over immigration and policy.