Attacks Pope Francis as “disgraceful” after “not Christian” wall remark

After Pope Francis suggested that building walls instead of bridges to keep migrants out was “not Christian,” Trump lashed out on Feb. 18, 2016, calling the pope’s comments “disgraceful” and accusing him of questioning his faith. Trump’s campaign issued a statement warning that if “the Vatican is attacked by ISIS,” the pope would have wished Trump were president, using the specter of terrorism to portray himself as the pope’s protector even while smearing a religious leader for criticizing his anti-immigrant wall rhetoric.

"For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful." — Feb. 18, 2016 response after Pope Francis said that someone who only thinks about building walls and not bridges is “not Christian,” as Trump defended his border wall plan and warned about ISIS attacking the Vatican