Trump slams ‘WEAK on crime’ Pope Leo for spending time with Democrats, says US-born pontiff ‘wouldn’t be in the Vatican’ without him

Donald Trump launched a tirade against Pope Leo, whom he has repeatedly criticized for the war in Iran, saying the American pontiff would not have been elected without him.

The President described the head of the Catholic Church as a ‘very liberal person’ and said he was ‘POOR on Crime and Terrible on Foreign Policy.’

He also said that Leo, 70, was only made Pope ‘because he was an American’, adding: ‘If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.’

Trump was exiting Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews as he aired a series of complaints against the Pope.

He said: ‘I don’t think he did a very good job. I think he likes crime.

‘We don’t like a pope who says it’s okay to have nuclear weapons. We don’t want a pope who says crime is normal. ‘I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.’

Trump’s comments came minutes after he made a Truth Social post criticizing Pope Leo for meeting with Barack Obama’s campaign manager, David Axelrod.

The 79-year-old President then referred to the pastor’s brother, Louis, who says he is a supporter of Trump and was hosted at the White House last year.

He added: ‘I like his brother Louis more than him because Louis is totally MAGA. He understands, but Leo doesn’t!’

Trump later criticized Pope Leo for wanting Iran to have nuclear weapons. The denuclearization of Iran is one of the main reasons for Trump’s attack on Tehran.

The President labeled the head of the Catholic Church as a ‘very liberal person’ and said he was ‘Weak on Crime and terrible on Foreign Policy.’

He added: ‘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 terrible that America is attacking Venezuela, a country that is sending massive amounts of drugs to the United States and, worse, emptying its prisons into our Country, including murderers, drug dealers, and murderers.’

The president further deepened his opposition to Pope Leo and the church’s stance on various issues, including Covid-19 restrictions.

“He talks about the ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but he does not mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church and all other Christian Organizations are experiencing during Covid as they arrest pastors, ministers, and anyone else for holding church services while walking out and being ten or even twenty feet apart,” Trump wrote.

The President later said that Pope Leo ‘criticized the President of the United States because I am doing exactly what I was elected to do, in a landslide.’

Trump then claimed that he was the only reason Pope Leo became the first American leader of the Catholic Church.

He added: ‘Leo must be grateful because as everyone knows it was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope and he was put there by the Church because he was 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.’

Trump continued to criticize Pope Leo for his meeting with Axelrod, whom he described as an ‘Obama sympathizer’ and ‘Loser from the Left, one of those who want churchgoers and clergy arrested’.

He added: ‘Leo must act as Pope, use his Common Sense, stop serving the Radical Left and focus on being the Great Pope, not the Politician. This hurts him very badly and more importantly it hurts the Catholic Church!’

This was an extraordinary attack on the head of the Catholic Church and further fueled the conflict over the war in Iran.

Trump then posted what appeared to be an AI drawing of Jesus Christ healing a sick person, followed by a photoshop showing what Trump Tower would look like if it were built on the moon.

The post came after Leo condemned the ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling the joint US-Israeli war in Iran at the weekend and demanded that political leaders stop and negotiate peace.

Leo presided over evening prayers at St. Peter’s Basilica on the day the United States and Iran began face-to-face talks in Pakistan amid a fragile ceasefire.

The pope did not mention the name of the United States or Trump in his prayer.

But Leo’s tone and message appeared aimed at Trump and American officials, who boasted about U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.

This comes after the pope used his first speech on Easter Sunday to send a message to Trump, calling for “those who have guns to let them go.”

Strongly condemning Trump’s war in Iran, the Pope told thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square that the people “got used to violence, surrendered and remained indifferent.”

The president was referring to Leo’s brother Louis, who said he was a supporter of Trump and was hosted at the White House last year.

Barack Obama’s key advisor David Axelrod recently met with Pope Leo

Speaking on the Vatican balcony, the Pope said, ‘Those who have guns, let them go!

‘Those who have the power to start wars should choose peace! ‘A peace imposed through dialogue, not by force.’

Leo did not specify any contradictions in his message, known as the Urbi et Orbi blessing, translated as ‘to the city and the world’.

The papal address was unusually short, lasting about 15 minutes. Normally it is twice the length in time.

Leo also touched on the Biblical story of Easter, in which Jesus rose from the dead three days after peacefully accepting his death by crucifixion, to highlight the ‘completely non-violent’ nature of Christ.

He added that the peace Jesus gave was ‘not just the silence of the guns’, and urged: ‘On this day of celebration, let us put aside all conflict, domination and desire for power, and pray to the Lord to give His peace to a war-torn world.’

Before the ceasefire, when Trump warned of mass attacks on Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure and that “an entire civilization will die tonight,” Leo described such sentiments as “truly unacceptable.”

The Pope is scheduled to go on an 11-day trip to Africa today.

Pope Leo met with US Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio at the Vatican last year.

Leo’s brother Louis and his wife, Deborah, attended the Pope’s inauguration ceremony in St. Peter’s Square last year with Vance and his wife.

Leo noted that there is a ‘globalization of indifference’, including the ‘death of thousands of people’, the ‘reflections of hatred’ and the ‘social and economic repercussions’ produced by wars.

He continued: ‘The cross of Jesus always reminds us of the pain and suffering that surrounds death and the suffering it entails.

‘We are all afraid of death and out of fear we turn away, choosing not to look. We cannot continue to remain complacent. ‘We cannot surrender ourselves to evil.’

Leo’s Easter Sunday speech followed his calls for an end to global conflicts, including a significant step in his criticism of the Iran war.

Popes don’t usually mention world leaders by name, but an exception was made last week when he explicitly mentioned Trump.

He told reporters on Tuesday: ‘I’m told President Trump has said recently that he wants to end the war…I hope he’s looking for a way out.’

Leo, who was born in Chicago, added: ‘We constantly make calls for peace but unfortunately many people want to promote hatred, violence and war.’

His comments contradicted those of U.S. secretary Pete Hegseth, who deemed the Iran war sacrosanct.

While praying last week, Hegseth asked God for “crushing violence against those who do not deserve mercy.”

He added: ‘Let there be a sign in every round against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation.’

In what appeared to be retaliation, the pope said at St Peter’s on Palm Sunday: God ‘does not listen to the prayers of those who make war, he rejects them’.

Turning to the Bible, he said: ‘Even if you pray a lot, I will not listen; ‘Your hands are full of blood.’

The seemingly back-and-forth debate between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV began last year.

Before being elected in May of last year, Leo examined J.D. Vance’s claims that the Bible justifies taking care of one’s family before immigration.

Following the US vice president’s invitation to the United States for Independence Day on July 4 this year, the Pope said he would instead spend the day visiting Lampedusa, an Italian island where immigrants landed after setting off from Africa.

This year marks Leo’s first Easter as Pope after the death of 88-year-old Pope Francis on Easter Monday last year.

Urbi et Orbi is the most solemn form of blessing in the Catholic Church and is reserved for special occasions such as Easter and Christmas.

Trump won 55 percent of Catholic voters in the 2024 election, according to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of voters.

But the Trump administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed to heavenly support war against Iran.