‘Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons’: Trump attacks Pope Leo

U.S. President Donald Trump blasted Pope Leo XIV on Monday, accusing the pontiff of being “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” in a Truth Social post that underscores a widening rift between the White House and the Vatican.

Trump’s 334-word screed followed recent remarks by Leo condemning the Israeli-U.S. war in Iran, including describing a threat by Trump to strike Iranian civilian infrastructure as “truly unacceptable.”

“God does not bless any conflict,” Leo wrote on X Friday. “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

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.

Before Leo’s election in 2025, the White House posted an AI-generated image of the president dressed in papal regalia a couple of days after Trump jokingly said: “I’d like to be pope.”

Against that backdrop and the Vatican’s chiding, Trump lashed out, attacking the pope’s perceived political associations, while reviving pandemic-era grievances popular with the MAGA base and accusing the Holy See of capitulating to left-wing figures.

“Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left,” the president posted.

“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. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Trump concluded.